To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail any measures her Department is taking to ensure restrictions against pavement parking across Belfast, are being effectively enforced.

My Department currently has the authority to issue Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) where a vehicle is observed parked on a legislated restriction, such as double yellow lines. These restrictions are enforced through traffic attendants who are deployed across Belfast and the rest of the North.

Enforcement schedules remain flexible and, where resources permit, can be adjusted. If additional enforcement is required, my parking enforcement team can be contacted at this email address: Parking.Request@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk, which is also accessible on my Department’s website. However, my Department cannot take enforcement action where a vehicle is parked on a pavement causing an obstruction where no parking restrictions are marked on the carriageway. In such cases, responsibility lies with the PSNI.

My Department continues to work collaboratively with others to address particular problem areas that are brought to our attention. For example, my Department has worked with Belfast City Council and the PSNI on the ‘Park with us in mind’ initiative which targeted hotspots where council waste collection vehicles were often unable to gain access to areas due to poor, inconsiderate or illegal parking.