HC Deb 03 July 2003 vol 408 c404W
Mr. Llwyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many miles of footpaths are in use. [123404]

Alun Michael

In England and Wales it is estimated that there are 173,940 km of public rights of way that are footpaths. There are no figures held centrally to show how many miles of footpath are in use, and the information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, the 1998 Day Visits Survey, which surveyed leisure day visits in both urban and rural areas, found that walking was a principal activity on approximately 930 million trips in England and Wales. The 2002 Leisure Day Visits Survey will be published in the autumn this year.