Introduction The WDC produced the Policy Briefing e-Working in the Western Region in March 2017, see here. This briefing aimed to quantify the extent of e-working in the Western Region and nationally and set out policy recommendations. Since then e-working or remote working and co-working spaces such as hubs have received a lot of attention, […]
31% of total renewable energy production in Germany owned by its citizens compared to 0.14% in Ireland. Western Development Commission is hosting a conference on December 11th to discuss the lessons learned from both Denmark and Germany regarding community owned projects within the renewable electricity auction process. Mayo, Clare, and Leitrim represented on EU […]
Introduction There is much discussion about the growth of ‘atypical’ forms of work – such as e-working, remote working, the gig, shared economy and temporary work etc. The WDC has previously examined various aspects of atypical ways of working, identifying the extent to which it occurs in the Western Region, whether patterns differ to that […]
Minister Sean Canney announces new phase for the Atlantic Economic Corridor task force. Two key events to take place in Limerick and Sligo next week as a consultation for hubs development as part of the €1m allocated from the dormant accounts fund. The Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development, […]
The government target of improving home energy efficiency through the retrofitting of 500,000 buildings by 2030 (see the Climate Action Plan 2019) is ambitious. It is therefore useful to look at the retrofits in more depth, and consider the target and issues from a rural Western Region perspective. While new buildings have significant potential to […]
Western Development Commission appoints Gavin Doherty as Investment Executive with special responsibility for the North West. Investment Executive with special responsibility for the North West, Gavin Doherty joins the WDC. The WDC Investment Fund will be holding a series of monthly clinics in Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo to outline funding supports available to businesses and […]
The CSO has recently published statistics on household use of the internet, measuring various aspects of the information society. Given the significant importance of the National Broadband Plan, aimed at delivering better internet access for all, especially those in rural areas, it is useful to examine the regional dimension of the Information Society Statistics, see […]
One of the most important elements of the transition to a low carbon rural region will be emissions reduction from homes in the Western Region by improving energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy sources for heating in particular (as discussed in the last blog post on this topic the focus of current WDC work […]
Recently, there have been a few publications which focus on the need to reprioritise policy and investment across various aspects of Irish transport infrastructure and services. The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has published a paper entitled Building a Transport infrastructure that fosters Irish exports to the world, see here. The IEA, whose focus is on […]
There is no significant body of work (internationally or nationally) on climate change and emissions issues for rural areas and yet there are important differences in energy use patterns and emissions (read more discussion on this here). This post gives a brief overview of some of the issues for rural dwellers addressed in the Climate […]
Western Development Commission Leads 3 County Delegation to visit Community-led Renewable Energy Projects in GermanyNovember 18, 2019 - 10:06 am
Minister Sean Canney launches twelve-month progress report and outlines next steps for The Atlantic Economic CorridorNovember 12, 2019 - 12:43 pm