To ask the Minister of Health to detail any work he is undertaking, in conjunction with Executive colleagues, to address the high levels of economic inactivity due to ill-health.

My Department works with other Executive Departments, including the Department for the Economy and Department for Communities, who lead on this important policy area, as well as local government and other collaborative partners, to help address this issue. Actions by my Department, through the Public Health Agency, to address high levels of economic inactivity due to ill-health are considered across the following policy areas:

Supporting people to live healthier lives –Examples of actions in this area include:

the development and roll out of a Whole Systems Approach to Obesity across each local Council area;

implementation of the Mental Health Strategy;

delivery of a Physical Activity Referral Scheme which supports people living with, or at risk of, a range of health conditions; and

delivery of community-based health improvement programmes in areas of high economic inactivity, which promote smoking cessation and substance misuse support.

Supporting healthier workplaces – Examples include:

delivery of a regional Work Well Live Well programme, open to all employers across the region, which builds on the WHO best practice guidance for healthy workplaces;

provision of workplace active travel programmes to support people to choose more sustainable travel options while adopting more physically active modes of travel; and

the Farm Families Programme which works in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to support local farmers and their families to receive health checks and provide advice to improve their health and wellbeing.

Supporting people towards employment –Examples include:

provision of counselling services for people experiencing stress or anxiety;

delivery of community-based learning programmes such as Men’s Sheds and Community Garden and Allotment programmes; and

supporting the development of Learning Cities with a focus on the role of learning as a tool to address inequalities and support people into formal and informal learning environments.

Supporting collaboration between economic activity/employment and health – Examples include:

working with local Councils and Labour Market Partnerships on economic inactivity and health initiatives; and

engagement with colleagues in other regions to share learning and development of best practice to influence wider policy setting.