Ms Joan Carthy:

I can answer that. It is a problem we are having right across the country; it is definitely not only in County Cork. There are standards in place but they are definitely not being adhered to when it comes to our public realm and outdoor dining, which I suppose has been at the forefront. As a disability organisation, we understand that businesses have to try to recoup money that was lost through Covid-19 and if outdoor dining is the thing that helps that, we are not against it. However, it must be done in a way that still facilitates people with disabilities as pedestrians and as consumers. People think that once it is outdoor dining, it is accessible. That does not necessarily stand. It still can be inaccessible. What is actually happening is that it is driving people with disabilities back into their homes. They are not becoming part of the community. They are finding it increasingly difficult to get around their towns and cities. Our towns and cities are so old that they are very inaccessible at the best of times. If businesses are now adding to that with street furniture without the right standards and restrictions applied to them, it will constantly drive people with disabilities back into their homes.