Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for Education to (a) promote walking and cycling to school and (b) develop a reward scheme for children who participate.

Officials from this Department have regular discussions with their colleagues from the Department for Education on how best to enable more walking, wheeling and cycling to school. The Government has a statutory objective, recently confirmed in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy published on 6 July, to increase to 55% by 2025 the percentage of children aged 5-10 who usually walk to school.

The Government has pledged to invest £2 billion in active travel over the current Parliament, and this is allowing many local authorities to invest in better and safer infrastructure, such as school streets, to enable more walking and cycling to school. The Department is also providing £2 million of funding this financial year for a Walk To School programme delivered by the charity Living Streets. The programme includes incentives such as badges to encourage more children to walk to school.

The Government is providing a record £20 million this financial year to support cycle training for children through the Bikeability programme. This should give many more children the confidence to cycle safely to school as well as for other journeys.