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7.22 pm
The Minister for Crime Reduction, Policing, and Community Safety (Ms Hazel Blears): First, I congratulate my hon. Friend on raising an important issue that is of concern to his constituents and to those of all hon. Members. Certainly, we have all received correspondence and representations from members of the public who share some of the concerns.
I should also like to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West (Jim Dowd) for his kind welcome to me in my new post. I am perhaps slightly better able to answer his questions than another Minister would be, as until six weeks ago I was Minister for public health, and responsible for some of these matters. I shall do my best to respond in detail.
My hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West has outlined the basis of Tetra. I am delighted that he knows that it stands for terrestrial trunked radio. He described how the technology has been developed, and was right to say that it is not brand-new. It is in operation in various countries: Tetra systems are deployed for emergency services in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway. I am sure that the concerns that my hon. Friend set out are shared in those countries.
Tetra has some specific advantages over the old-fashioned police radio systems. It is a modern digital technology, which means that it offers much more accurate voice recognition. Gone are the days of hiss and crackle, when police had to turn their radios up to maximum volume to work out what messages were coming through. Tetra also allows for quite sophisticated encryption techniques, which stop people
hacking into the police radio system and ensures that information is secure. It can also provide very high capacity when needed. Given the necessity to get all emergency services involved in the major incidents that take place these days, that high capacity is increasingly vital. I am sure that the public are very keen to support the police in tackling crime, making communities safer and responding very quickly to incidents as they occur.However, people are also right to be concerned about their health and that of their families. This is complex and detailed new technology, so it is right for us to address as many of people's concerns as we can.
I am delighted that Airwave is now available to 15 forces, which is one more than when I answered my hon. Friend's question last time. The system will be rolled out across the country by mid-2005.
Police officers are pretty keen on the system. They feel that it has given them a greater ability to do their job. I am told that they no longer get into black holes where they cannot communicate, so their personal safety is increased as they can call for help on the ground. Also, for the first time, police helicopters can communicate directly with the police attending an incident, so the police are pleased about that.
On the health concerns, my hon. Friend is right to say that as the technology has developed there have been concerns not only about Airwave but about mobile phones in general. That is why the Stewart report was commissioned. It was a detailed and comprehensive examination of all the existing health evidence and it was published in 2000. That report primarily focused on general mobile phone technology; it was not aimed in particular at Airwave or Tetra. It identified the latter as just one form of technology that it was considering.
In particular, the report looked into work on pulsing signals, which is one of the key areas of concern. It noted that some researchers had found that biological effects could arise from pulsing signals even at weak powers. The experiments were carried out in the 1970s and it has since been virtually impossible to replicate them. The report was based on the precautionary principle of trying to deal with every eventuality. Whether or not they had any scientific basis, it decided to take account of some of the tests that had been carried out. The report concluded that the existing research was inconclusive and that no obvious health effects had been suggested. However, it recommended that as a precautionary measure, and those are the important words, modulation, the pulsing sensation at around 16 Hz—signal patterns that repeat themselves at a pulsing rate of 16 times a second—should be avoided if possible for future systems.
My hon. Friend is right to say that it is the handsets that pulse and not the masts. The masts do not pulse, and independent evidence has confirmed that to be the case. Many communities have perhaps become seized of inaccurate information, which has led them to be concerned on a false scientific basis. I can offer that reassurance to people everywhere that the pulsing identified in the Stewart report comes from the handsets, not the masts. We need to be clear about that.
On the Home Office response to the Stewart report—these were important issues for us—we took advice from the National Radiological Protection Board on the health implications of the Tetra technology. As my hon. Friend said, the advisory group on non-ionising radiation, AGNIR, published a report in July 2001, which said:
- "Although areas of uncertainty remain about the biological effects of low level . . . radiation in general, including modulated signals, current evidence suggests that it is unlikely that the special features of the signals from TETRA mobile terminals and repeaters pose a hazard to health".
That report suggested further research and we have set up a comprehensive research programme to take those recommendations forward. We have commissioned studies to be undertaken by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. My hon. Friend referred to those reports. I can confirm that those experiments and studies show that Tetra has no effect on the calcium exchanges in brain and heart cells. That was the main concern of the Stewart report. I should not be delighted that the website is out of date, but I am delighted to be able to say that all the dates to which my hon. Friend referred were this year, and the studies have come up with that evidence.
The Stewart report also recommended that all mobile phone masts should be included in a database so that we know where they are and can see how they are spread across the country. The Sitefinder database has now been established. The first upload of Airwave base stations on to the database takes place next week, so we are keeping good track of them.
We have also set up a national health monitoring study of police Airwave users. Obviously, the Police Federation was concerned on behalf of its members. Although it welcomes the practical improvements, it also wants to ensure that there are no health risks. We have awarded a £5 million contract to Imperial college. A study of 10,000 police Airwave users will be undertaken to monitor their health in the next 15 years. That is a good long-term research study to find out what the implications are. Therefore, we are taking proper precautions to ensure that the impact is not untoward.
I shall comment on the Lewisham situation, as I am aware of the concern that has been caused to local people because of the lack of consultation. I understand that my officials are meeting the chief executive of O2 Airwave next Monday. I will ensure that the matter is raised and will emphasise the company's responsibility to consult local people.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister code of best practice is not just a piece of paper; it requires everyone involved to take their responsibility seriously. Where there is good community consultation, people understand the issues and reach a proper view, so it is important that such matters are open and transparent, and discussed in a mature and adult way. Local people need access to the best scientific information for reassurance for them and their families.
The code of practice states that companies should be especially careful about siting masts in the vicinity of schools and hospitals. The situation in Lewisham fell firmly into that category and we shall ensure that the company is fully reminded of its responsibilities.
My hon. Friend indicated the importance of all Departments working together to ensure that we take effective action. I am delighted to confirm that we shall continue to take an active interest in the health implications of the Tetra system, but I emphasise that
the introduction of that new technology will help us to tackle crime more effectively and to build confidence that our communities are safer places to live, work and bring up families. We shall, however, always be conscious of the health implications. I am delighted that my hon. Friend has raised the matter. We shall continue to focus our efforts on it.
- Adjourned accordingly at twenty-nine minutes to Eight o'clock.
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