To ask the Minister of Health what inter-departmental discussions he has had in relation to the introduction of a walking strategy.

The Department of Health is represented on strategic boards and implementation groups for cross-department sport and physical activity, active travel, and outdoor recreation, led by DfC, DfI and DAERA respectively. The benefits of walking as a mode of active travel and as a means of increasing physical activity have been discussed frequently in these forums.

‘A Fitter Future for All’, the obesity prevention strategic framework for Northern Ireland, seeks to promote greater participation in all forms of physical activity, including walking and cycling, as physical activity plays a key role in improving population health and well-being. There are several cross-departmental objectives, outcomes, and indicators contained within the framework linked to walking as both a method of travel and as a physical activity.

In support of A Fitter Future for All, the Public Health Agency commissions a suite of programmes to increase participation in physical activity including their ‘Walking for Health’ programme.

A new strategic framework ‘Healthy Futures – A Strategic Framework to Prevent the Harm caused by Obesity, and Improve Diets and Levels of Physical Activity in Northern Ireland’ is currently in development and a public consultation on the vision, principles and themes closed on the 1 March 2024. Responses to this are being collated and reviewed and a post-consultation report will be published in due course.