§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the further advice of Sir William Stewart on the potential health risks of specific frequency ranges for the emergency radio Airwave system; and if he will make a statement. [5385]
§ Mr. DenhamSir William Stewart was the chairman of the Independent Expect Group on Mobile Phones. The group was commissioned by the Minister of Public Health to assess the current state of research into possible health risks from mobile phones. The Group's report, on Mobile Phones and Health, was published on 11 May 2000.
As a result of the precautionary approach recommended in the report, and recognising that concerns had been raised about Airwave, the Home Office commissioned two studies. One study is being conducted by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and the other by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). The NRPB have engaged their Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR) to review the available evidence. Both of these studies are in progress.
We are anticipating that the AGNIR report will be available in the next few weeks. The DERA study is longer term and DERA will be reporting to us on a regular basis, up to the conclusion of their main programme in May 2002.