Written answers

Wednesday, 3 June 2020

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Obesity Strategy

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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1262. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the work being carried out within his Department in respect of the national obesity plan specifically regarding developing guidelines and support materials for those working in developing the built environment of urban development and planning in relation to reducing the obesogenic environment; the status of this matter; when the proposed event on same will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9629/20]

Photo of Damien EnglishDamien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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A Healthy Weight for Ireland - Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025" was published by the Department of Health in 2016 and lead responsibility is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Health.

‘A Healthy Weight for Ireland’ will cover a ten year period until 2025 and sets targets to be achieved and actions that will produce measurable outcomes. Step 2 of the action plan sets outs, inter alia, to “develop guidelines and support materials for those working in developing the built environment for urban development and planning in relation to reducing the obesogenic environment.”

The National Planning Framework, launched in 2018, recognises the strong link between our health and environment and includes at National Policy Objectives 26 and 27, to support the objectives of public health policy, including Healthy Ireland, through integrating such policies, where appropriate and at the applicable scale, with planning policy, and to ensure the integration of safe and convenient alternatives to the car into the design of our communities.

Additionally, the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) was jointly prepared by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) and the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG) in 2013 and was recently updated in May 2019 by DTTAS with input from my Department. 

DMURS seeks to ensure the integration of safe and convenient alternatives to the car into the design of our communities, by prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments.  DMURS contains a range of objectives, measures and standards that when applied, create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting more active modes of travel. An updated document and various other resource material can be downloaded from a dedicated website www.dmurs.ie.

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