Chamber and committees

The Chief Scientists Office(CSO), within the Scottish Executive Health Department, has responsibility forencouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland.CSO is largely a response mode funder of research and has recently received anoutline research grant application on this subject. This application iscurrently being externally peer reviewed.

TETRA systems aresubject to the same provisions for control of public exposures toradiofrequency (RF) radiation as global systemfor mobile telecommunications (GSM) equipment. These provisionsinclude a requirement that operators ensure that public exposures are keptwithin the guideline levels defined by the international commission on non-ionizingradiation protection (ICNIRP). To monitor compliancewith this requirement, the Radiocommunications Agency (RA) is undertaking anaudit of base stations with particular emphasis on those near schools andhospitals. The general finding of the RA audit is that levels of RFradiation exposure are thousands of times below the ICNIRP public exposureguideline level. For example, the highest measured exposure level for the 21Scottish school inspections carried out so far this year (and published on theRA website at www.radio.gov.uk) was lessthan one five-thousandth of the ICNIRP public exposure guideline level. Themeasurement programme in Scotland has not yet been extended to include TETRA emissionsbut the RA propose to make appropriate changes to cover these emissions asTETRA base stations become operational.

Two of the principalconclusions of the report of the independent expert group on mobile phones,issued in May 2000, were that the balance of evidence to date suggests that (i)exposure to radiation from mobile phone technologies at levels below currentguidelines do not cause adverse health effects to the general population, and(ii) there is no general risk to the health of people living near to basestations on the basis that the exposures are expected to be a small fraction of the guidelines. No compelling scientificevidence has since emerged to challenge the continuing validity of theseconclusions.

The provisions for limitingthe exposure of members of the public to radiofrequency emissions from theequipment that forms the Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM) applyequally to emissions from the TETRA system. This includes a requirement fromthe Home Office that all TETRA handsets comply with the same conditions forSpecific Absorption Rate as apply to GSM handsets. There is therefore no needfor any change to the current position.

The Executivehas received a number of enquiries about the possible adverse health effects ofTETRA systems. All the provisions for control of public exposures toradiofrequency radiation from the GlobalSystem for Mobile Telecommunications apply equally toTETRA systems. These include the requirement for operators to ensure thatexposures are kept within the guideline levels defined by the InternationalCommission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection

Whilst the Scottish Executive collects data on the number of planning applications submitted for radiotelecommunications developments, it does not ask planning authorities todistinguish between operators or technologies. We are, therefore, unable toprovide the figures requested.

The Scottish Executive does not maintain records on the emissions from the terrestrial trunkedradio network in Scotland. The Radiocommunications Agency undertakemeasurements from TETRA and cellular base stations on a United Kingdombasis and publish these results on their website at www.radio.gov.uk.

A consultation document onthe proposed extension of the horse passport scheme was sent out to interestedparties on 17 July 2003. Comments were requested by 14 September 2003 and responses were subsequently received from the following:

Scottish Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals

National Equine WelfareCouncil

Scottish EquestrianAssociation

International League for theProtection of Horses

SAC Veterinary Services

British Horse Society

Scottish Icelandic HorseAssociation

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Highland Pony Society

British VeterinaryAssociation (Scottish Branch)

British EquestrianFederation

Shetland Pony Stud Book

UK Pony Club

+ 3 individuals

The consultation documentwas placed on the Scottish Executive website and copies of all responses are available inthe Scottish Executive Library.

The information requested isnot held centrally.

No.