Vol. 577 No. 4
290 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if, in the context of the proposed amendment of the building regulations, his Department will consider introducing a requirement for mandatory radon testing of new houses upon completion; and his views on whether such a measure would reduce the estimated 2,500 house completions each year that exceed the reference levels. [31661/03]
In July 2003 I published, for public comment, a draft new edition of Technical Guidance Document C – TGD-C – on Part C, site preparation and moisture resistance, of the Building Regulations 1997. The draft TGD-C contains enhanced advice on Radon prevention in new buildings, including new houses. A copy of the relevant draft has been placed in the Library.
My Department is now considering 17 comments on the draft TGD-C received from interested individuals and organisations by the end of October 2003, and will be consulting with the statutory Building Regulations Advisory Body – BRAB. I plan to publish a definitive TGD-C in the first half of 2004.
While it is not proposed to make radon surveys in new houses compulsory, the draft new edition of Technical Guidance Document C advises householders to arrange a survey of radon, following the completion and occupation of new houses. Similar advice will be contained in a leaflet to be prepared by my Department in 2004, for distribution to the purchasers and tenants of new houses in high radon areas, as defined by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII. My Department is not aware of any mandatory requirement for radon surveys in new houses in other EU member states.
