§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the possible health implications of the use of the Terrestrial Trunk Radio Systems within the airwave network; and what reports he studied in order to reach conclusions from his assessment. [23182]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 17 December 2001]British Telecom operate the Terrestrial Trunk Radio (TETRA) systems that form part of the infrastructure which supports the Airwave network. Network operators in the United Kingdom are obliged by law to ensure that all of their installations are compliant with Health and Safety legislation. This legislation is enacted to ensure that all workers and members of the public are protected, in line with National Radiological Protection Board recommendations. There are no unique features of the TETRA systems used in support of the Airwave network that would require special assessment.
The Home Office takes an active interest in Airwave health and safety issues and is sponsoring a programme of work to address the recommendations of independent scientific experts. These recommendations relate to the mobile radio part of the nextwork, which uses TETRA technology. Details of this work are available on the Home Office website.