§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average annual payment was to landowners for the siting of Tetra masts in the last three years. [37744]
§ Mr. John DenhamThe Home Office does not make payments to landowners for the siting of Terrestrial Trunked Radio System (Tetra) masts. The location of the sites, and agreements with site owners, are the responsibility of Tetra network operators. For the Airwave service this is Airwave mm02, (formerly British Telecom Airwave). Payments for the use of sites are a commercial matter between the network operator and the site owners.
§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent evaluation has been made of the health risks associated with Tetra masts. [37745]
§ Mr. DenhamIn early 2001, the Home Office commissioned a report from the National Radiological Protection Board on the potential health risks from Terrestrial Trunked Radio System (Tetra) technology.
The report concluded that it was unlikely that the special features of Tetra posed a hazard to health, and made recommendations for further research in the remaining areas of uncertainty. The Home Office has accepted the report and is taking forward all its recommendations in a comprehensive programme of work which is already well underway. This includes a large study commissioned by the Home Office from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on the possible effects of Tetra signals on cell biology. The initial results of this work are expected by April, 2002.