Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 164: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if grant aid is available from his Department for the installation of equipment by a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [32751/08]

Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The Scheme of Housing Aid for Older People is available to assist older people, generally over 60 years, to have necessary repairs or improvements carried out to their homes. Where a suite of works is being grant aided under this scheme, local authorities may also, as part of the package of works, assist with the provision of radon remediation works, where applicable. There is no other scheme of grant assistance that exclusively targets remediation works in private dwellings with radon levels that exceed the National Reference Level. The Government's approach, which is similar to that of the majority of EU member states, is instead to concentrate efforts on increasing public awareness of the risks posed by radon in the home.

The Building Regulations require all new buildings, including new houses, built since 1st July 1998 to incorporate radon protection measures at the time of construction. This includes the fitting of an inactive radon sump, which can be activated at a later stage to reduce radon concentrations if this is found to be necessary.