To ask the Minister for Regional Development what action his Department is taking to ensure that footpaths are free from obstructions to people who are visually impaired.

My Department’s Roads Service is highly cognisant of the need to ensure the safety of visually impaired members of the public who use footpaths. The Roads (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 empowers the Department to take action to remove obstructions.

Roads Service will intervene and consider the removal of obstacles from footpaths usually in circumstances where a complaint is made by a member of the public. It will request the removal of any obstacles which are considered to compromise the safety of members of the public using the footpath, and in doing so, is particularly mindful of the risks posed to those who may be visually impaired.