Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of the National Cycle Network in providing access to nature.

The Government recognises the importance of walking, cycling and other forms of sustainable transport in accessing nature.

We are working to ensure that consideration of access to nature is integrated with our work on active travel and the Government is fully committed to the ambitious vision that by 2030, half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled.

The National Cycle Network provides 12,000 miles of signed routes for walking, wheeling and cycling which includes over 5,000 miles of traffic-free paths.