HC Deb 08 April 1986 vol 95 cc62-3W
Dr. Bray

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how the responsibilities and terms of reference of the committee on medical aspects of radiation in the environment relate to those of the Medical Research Council and the National Radiological Protection Board, particularly with regard to research and to dose limits.

Mr. Whitney

It is the statutory function of the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB)(a) by means of research and otherwise to advance the acquisition of knowledge about the protection of mankind from radiation hazards; and (b) to provide information and advice to persons (including Government Departments) with responsibilities in the United Kingdom in relation to the protection from radiation hazards either of the community as a whole or of particular sections of the community.

The board has been directed by Ministers to advise Government Departments and statutory bodies on the acceptability of and application in the United Kingdom of radiation protection standards (including dose limits) recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and other international bodies, taking into consideration such advice that it may obtain from the Medical Research Council in relation to the biological bases on which standards rest.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) operates under a royal charter which empowers it to undertake biomedical research. It is involved in fundamental research to investigate the effect of radiation on biological systems. It has a committee on the effects of ionising radiation (CEIR), the terms of reference of which are:

  1. (a) to keep the field of radiobiology under general review and to advise and report to the cell board as appropriate: and
  2. (b) to advise on the biological basis on which radiological protection standards rest, and on the risks arising from ionising radiation.

Both the NRPB and the MRC send assessors to meetings of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). This is a Government advisory body whose terms of reference are: To assesss and advise Government on the health aspects of radiation in the environment and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research".

It does not carry out its own research. The NRPB helps provide the secretariat for COMARE.

The NRPB advises on radiation protection matters over a number of fields, but COMARE is concerned solely with the health implications of environmental radiation.

Whilst the roles of all three bodies are related, there is close co-operation between them to avoid duplication.