The Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, has raised concerns about the effectiveness of legislation that will allow people with disabilities to complain about their restricted access to buildings.
Ms O'Reilly said the wording of the Disability Act 2005 was not cut and dried and as a result she believed her office would have difficulty assessing complaints.
Ms O’Reilly was speaking at the launch of a new report by the National Disability Authority.
Under Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005, a public body must ensure its buildings are accessible to people with disabilities and comply with a code of practice such as is practical and having regard to its resources and obligations.
Today Ms O'Reilly said she could foresee difficulties where public bodies rationally argued that they did not have the resources to provide such services.
A lot depended on the attitude of public bodies and the administration towards the act and whether they would have a generous or minimalist approach, she said.
She added that until she received complaints, she would not be able to make a full judgement on the matter.
However, Ms O'Reilly said the legislation could have been worded better to make her role easier.
