Ms Rosaleen Lally:

On that point, I know from my experience of working with authorities that access officers have been appointed in many places but, as Mr. Dolan stated, it is an add-on responsibility that a person has taken on or been given. They do not have the expertise, interest or time to follow it through. There needs to be designated ring-fenced funding for access officers with the necessary qualifications in each local authority who can take on these issues, such as parking spaces, access, footpaths and outdoor dining. There are so many issues. The problem is there is no policing of these things. Outdoor dining is fine if it is done properly, policed and watched. We know it is fine. When a business knows somebody is coming around to inspect it, everything will be in place but, the next day, sandwich boards and everything else will be out again. Ring-fenced funding needs to be put in place to ensure there are people to police this and make sure things are done correctly. The problem is people are being given the job of access officer on top of their existing responsibilities. It is ticking a box. The report will show it is happening but it is not being productive on the ground.