Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I would like to hear the views of the Minister, Deputy Gormley, on this issue. Given that his party has consistently called for the reintroduction of the radon remediation grant scheme, I would like to know if that remains his position now that he is Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Minister of State mentioned that smokers are at risk, but radon does not affect smokers only. I accept that smokers have a higher risk of contracting lung cancer if they live in a high radon area. According to statistics from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and the National Cancer Registry, radon causes up to 200 deaths from lung cancer in this country every year. There is a real health risk associated with radon. To put it in context, approximately 70 people die from cancer of the cervix and approximately 800 people are killed on the roads each year. The Minister of State referred to a Danish study, but that is not a very good example because Denmark has a far smaller radon risk than Ireland. Seven European countries have radon remediation grant schemes and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has said that such a scheme would be very effective in Ireland. Is the Minister of State aware that a study conducted by the institute found that radon remediation measures were taken in just 10% of houses in which high radon levels had been identified? The institute has argued that the main reason for the low take-up is that such facilities are too costly for householders.

See this speech in context