§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the causes of high radon gas levels in Kincardine and Deeside district; if he will identify the areas particularly affected; and if he will summarise the assistance and advice available to householders.
§ Mr. RifkindStudies by the National Radiological Protection Board have indicated that the accumulation of 599W higher than normal concentrations of radon in buildings is influenced by the uranium content and permeability of the underlying rocks and soils, and also by some characteristics of the buildings. Some of these factors combine in the Dee valley to cause higher levels of this naturally occurring gas in a small percentage of houses: such levels have been discovered in the areas of Aboyne, Ballater, Banchory, Braemar and Torphins.
The Scottish Office has arranged for the National Radiological Protection Board to provide information and a free radon measurement to any concerned householder in the Kincardine and Deeside district. In addition, grants continue to be available, through the present improvement grants system, for any remedial action which may be necessary.