§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, column 189, concerning radon levels in houses, what funds are available in the current year for remedial building work on any dwelling identified as having a radon level (a) well above the higher action level and (b) above the higher action level; what funds will be available for such work during 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveAs I indicated on 27 January, no decisions can be taken on the allocation of funds for remedial work until the work in hand on establishing the extent of the problem and the most effective remedial measures for dealing with it has been completed.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, columns 189–90, concerning radon levels in houses, what number of houses in Somerset is to be included in the further survey announced; whether any parts of Somerset are areas where a measurement service will be provided at no cost to those concerned; what 115W arrangements have been made for distribution in Somerset of his Department's leaflet; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI shall answer this question shortly.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information is available to his Department concerning any dwellings in Cornwall where advice has been given that a dwelling is unsafe for a pregnant woman due to naturally occurring radioactivity, either from radon gas or from other sources; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1987]: My right hon. Friend is not aware of any such advice having been given. However, in 1971, officials of the Department recommended to the landlords of a property sited at an old uranium mine in Cornwall that they should seek further advice from the Department if the tenancy of the property were likely to fall to a young family. This was a precautionary step because background radiation and the radioactive content of drinking water and home-grown vegetables had been found to be above normal for the United Kingdom. The levels were far below the values accepted for the continuous exposure of persons working with radioactive materials so no immediate action was considered necessary.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, column 189–90, concerning radon levels in houses, if he has any plans to offer further guidance on the advisability of a pregnant women residing in a house where the annual dose from radon exceeds the 20 milliSievert action level; what is the level of risk to a foetus or unborn child associated with such a level of exposure; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1987]: There is no need for special advice on radon to pregnant women. The radiation dose from radon comes predominantly from the solid decay products of radon, which, if breathed in, can be deposited on the surface of the lungs and so increase the risk of lung cancer. Doses of radiation from radon and its decay products to all other tissues of the body, including the foetus, are very much smaller. The risk of childhood malignancy from exposure in utero at the action level of a 20 milliSievert per year effective dose equivalent to the mother has been estimated by the National Radiological Protection Board to be approximately seven in one million.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, column 189–90, concerning radon levels in houses, what are the terms under which the Government intend to offer financial assistance to owner-occupiers; what are the proposed limits of such financial assistance; when such assistance will first be available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1987]: No decisions can be taken on financial assistance until the Building Research Establishment has completed the work on remedial measures announced on 27 January.
§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his statement on 27 January, Official Report, column 189–90, concerning radon levels in 116W houses, what estimates are available to his Department of the likely total costs of remedial building relating to the 20 milliSievert action level for (a) owner-occupiers in Cornwall and (b) local authorities in Cornwall; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Waldegrave[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1987]: As I indicated in my statement to the House on 27 January 1987, further research work is now required to establish the extent of the problem and the most effective remedical measures for dealing with it. It is not therefore possible at this stage to estimate the total costs of remedial works.