§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of(a) the NRPB report and (b) the Stewart report on mobile phones. [132435]
§ Yvette CooperThe most recent document concerning mobile phone base stations published by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) is "Exposure to Radio Waves Near Mobile Phone Base Stations" (NRPB-R321 published June 2000). A summary is available at www.nrpb.org.uk. The contents of this report have been noted and copies have been placed in the Library.
The Stewart report published on 11 May made wide-ranging recommendations. We issued our initial response on the same day. The Department is keeping an overview of action taken by the appropriate Government Departments to respond to the report's recommendations. Progress is as follows:
Advice has already been issued to local education authorities and schools about base stations in an around school premises and the use of mobile phones by children.Research recommendations are being taken forward by the Department of Health in conjunction with the Department for Trade and Industry, the research councils and industry. An announcement is planned for September.The Department of Trade and Industry is also developing arrangements for information about mobile phones exposures to be made available and on measurement and auditing of base stations, for which schools are seen as the priority.The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will shortly be consulting on the principle and precise scope of possible changes to the planning process for mobile phone base stations.The Department of Health will issue a leaflet later this year to be distributed widely and, specifically, to be available where mobile phones are sold.