To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether she will review the legislation and regulations, to enable DFI Roads to install disabled bays outside pharmacies located along the roadside as standard, rather than requiring an application.

My Department’s powers to provide parking places are set out in Articles 10 and 13 of the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

Comprehensive guidance on requests for accessible parking bays for businesses, including the relevant application criteria, is provided in RSPPG E056: Provision of Parking Places RSPPG E056.

The application process is a key part of this policy to ensure that the context and constraints for each location are fully considered. As such my Department has no current plans to review the legislation or regulations to permit the provision of accessible parking bays outside pharmacies or other businesses without the completion of an application.