§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of UK housing stock has been tested for radon gas; [159891]
(2) how many houses have been tested for radon gas in each of the last seven years; [159892]
(3) what plans she has to encourage the testing of the remainder of UK housing stock for radon gas. [159893]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 11 March 2004]Since 1987 successive Governments have run a radon measurement programme to identify the extent of the radon problem in the UK. During that time 450 thousand of the 25 million UK homes have been tested. Over the last eight years Government-funded measurement programmes have mainly focused on homes likely to be at most risk. In England and Northern Ireland, for example, that has meant every home with a greater than 5 per cent. probability of radon levels being at or above the National Radiological Protection Board's (NRPB) recommended radon "Action Level" (200 becquerels per cubic metre of air) has been offered a free radon test. In accordance with NRPB's recommendation, we advise that remedial action is taken to reduce radon levels in any home at or above the Action Level. It is estimated that over 100,000 homes in the UK are likely to be at or above the Action Level and, of those, around 43,000 have been found. Approximately 90 per cent. of the homes above the Action Level are likely to be in England.
The following table sets out the number of homes tested by NRPB for radon gas in the UK since 1996 up to the present date. The figures from 1998 onwards include radon tests that have been offered to householders as part of pilot studies and a wider ongoing programme where the Government are working in partnership with nearly 30 local authorities in England to help householders in radon-affected areas to take action to cut levels of radon in their homes. This supports the Government's policy of encouraging more radon remediation amongst householders in order to reduce the risk that high radon levels pose to their health. The pilot studies run between 1998 and 2000 showed that working at a local level worked well and could double the amount of radon remediation. This success led to the rolling out of the current programme based on the experiences and lessons learned from the pilot studies. We shall be reviewing the initiative before it ends in March 2005 to allow us to determine how successful it has been. We will then make a judgment on the future direction of the Government's radon programme.
In Northern Ireland, the Department of the Environment is continuing to make free radon tests available to householders in areas where radon concentrations in homes have a 1 per cent. or greater probability of being at or above the Action Level. In addition, radon awareness campaigns will be conducted in selected areas of Northern Ireland in partnership with local authorities. These will target areas where there is a greater than 10 per cent. probability of radon levels in a home exceeding the Action Level.
287WPlans to encourage the testing of dwellings for radon in Scotland and Wales rest with the Scottish Executive and National Assembly for Wales respectively.
Number of Tests 1996 70,500 1997 54,000 1998 25,800 1999 9,600 2000 6,800 2001 8,000 2002 10,000 20031 11,100 20041 14,100 1 All the Government-funded tests have used detectors that need to be in place for 3 months. Some tests in 2003 and all those so far commenced in the first two months of 2004 are therefore still to be completed. Note
Totals rounded to three significant figures.