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Department of Health (DH)

The DH have issued information about mobile telecommunications and health including two leaflets:

Mobile phones and health

Mobile phone base stations and health

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The HSE's mission is to ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled.

The HSE statement on non ionising radiation can be found at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/radiation/nonionising/hse.htm

Health Protection Agency (HPA)

The HPA (previously known as the National Radiological Protection Board) has been given the responsibility by Government for providing information and advice to the public and Government Departments in relation to the health effects of electromagnetic fields.

The HPA has produced a leaflet entitled 'Mobile Telephony and Health - Background information” which is available from

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/understand/information_sheets/mobile_telephony/background_info.htm

The HPA has produced a leaflet entitled ' Mobile Telephony and Health - Exposures from Base Stations” which is available from

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/understand/information_sheets/mobile_telephony/base_stations.htm

The HPA advice about the application of the RF exposure guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/news/nrpb_archive/press_releases/2004/press_release_05_04.htm

The HPA report on Exposure to Radio Waves near Mobile Phone Base Stations

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/archive/reports/2000/nrpb_r321.htm

The HPA report about possible health effects from Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA): from the Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation.

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absd12-2.htm

The HPA Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) published a further review of the current science in January 2004. See:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absd14-2.htm

The 2004 report from the NRPB about Mobile Phones and Health is available from

http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absd15-5.htm

The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP)

The IEGMP, chaired by Sir William Stewart and so also known as the Stewart Group, was established following a request made by the Minister for Public Health, Tessa Jowell in April 1999, to examine possible effects of mobile phones, base stations and transmitters on health.

The remit of the Group was to consider current concerns about the possible health effects from the use of mobile phones, base stations and transmitters, to conduct a rigorous assessment of existing research and to give advice based on the present state of knowledge as well as to make recommendations on further work that should be carried out to improve the basis for sound advice.

The IEGMP completed its work and its Report, published on 11 May 2000 , presents its findings and recommendations. The report can be found on the website for the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones. Alternatively a copy can be obtained directly from the Secretariat of the Expert Group. Their telephone number is 01235 822742, fax number 01235 822746, address IEGMP Secretariat, c/o Information Office, Health Protection Agency, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0RQ.

The Government has produced an official response to the Report.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

The Department brings together functions from the former Department of Trade and Industry, including responsibilities for productivity, business relations, energy, competition and consumers, with the Better Regulation Executive (BRE), previously part of the Cabinet Office. (See also the Better Regulation website to submit ideas for reducing or simplifying regulation for the business, public and third sectors.)

The code of practice for the consideration of requests for the siting of Telecommunications equipments on Government occupied building, this can be found at :

http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file13240.pdf

Several other papers related to mobile phones and base stations can be found at

www.berr-ec.com/CGIBIN/priamlnk.cgi?MP=CATSER^GINT65&CNO=1&CAT='22'

Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) can provide advice on the general planning arrangements for mobile phone base stations.

Guidance on the planning mobile phone base stations

Code of practice on mobile phone network development

The review of the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development can be found at http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/reviewcodemobile

Electronics Communications Code

Ofcom has the power to grant electronic communications code (the "Code") powers under Section 106 of the Communications Act 2003. The Code enables electronic communications network providers to construct electronic communications networks. The Code enables these providers to construct infrastructure on public land (streets), to take rights over private land, either with the agreement with the landowner or applying to the County Court. It also conveys certain immunities from the Town and Country Planning legislation in the form of Permitted Development.

Formally the code is set out in schedule 2 to the Telecommunications Act 1984 as amended by schedule 3 to the Communications Act 2003.

The types of apparatus permitted and the rules that apply are set out in the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 see http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032553.htm.

And Ofcom duties in this respect are set out in http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/e_c_c/

Town and Country Planning

Statutory Instruments state the “law” as it relates to Telecommunications Developments, often called the Town and Country planning acts, these can be found at;

Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 418
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 )
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950418_en_1.htm

Statutory Instrument 1995 No. 419
The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995)
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950419_en_1.htm

Statutory Instrument 2001 No. 2718
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (England) Order 2001
http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20012718.htm

Regional governments have developed their own planning policies these can found at;

For Scotland :

National Planning Policy Guideline NPPG 19: Radio Telecommunications
July 2001)
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2001/07/nppg19-telecoms/nppg-19

For Northern Ireland :

Planning Policy Statement 10 (PPS 10) Telecommunications Planning Policy

http://www.planningni.gov.uk/AreaPlans_Policy/PPS/pps10/PPS10.pdf.

For Wales :

The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Amendment No. 2) ( Wales ) Regulations 2002
http://www.bailii.org/wales/legis/num_reg/2002/20022258e.html

The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment)
( Wales ) Order 2002 (SI 2002/1877)
http://www.bailii.org/wales/legis/num_reg/2002/20021877e.html

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment)
( Wales ) Order 2002 (SI 2002/1878).
http://www.bailii.org/wales/legis/num_reg/2002/20021878e.html

The revised version of Technical Advice Note "Telecommunications" (TAN 19) August 2002 takes account of the growth of the telecommunications industry, of the new social and economic demands for communications, and of the Welsh Assembly Government's environmental policies.
http://new.wales.gov.uk/about/departments/depc/epcpublications/PlanPubs/TAN/TAN19?lang=en

Department for Education and Skills (DfES)

Teacher-net advice about mobile phone base stations

Local Government

If you wish to contact your local council on the issue of mobile phone base stations the web addresses for all councils with websites can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm

UK Research program

Following the publication of the report by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones a research programme, called the Link Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR), was set up to look into the possible health impact of Mobile Telecommunications. Funds of £7.36 million have been allocated to the programme by industry and Government. Full details can be found at:
http://www.mthr.org.uk/index.htm

The 2007 report from the MTHR can be found at http://www.mthr.org.uk/documents/MTHR_report_2007.pdf

The UK Mobile Operators Association

The UK Mobile Operators Association (MOA) which represents the five cellular operators provide a comprehensive set of links to many sites which discuss issues associated with mobile phones, base stations and health.

The MOA was formerly known as the Mobile Telecoms Advisory Group (MTAG) within the Federation of the Electronics Industry (FEI)

http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/

International

The ICNIRP guidelines for exposure to EMF “Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (up to 300 GHz), Health Physics Vol. 74, No 4, pp 494-522, 1998.” can be downloaded from http://www.icnirp.org/pubEMF.htm

The Royal Society of Canada publish a comprehensive review of the risks of radio-frequency fields from wireless telecommunication devices
http://www.rsc.ca/index.php?page=expert_panels_rf&lang_id=1&page_id=120

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency publish a range of information sheets about electromagnetic fields and public health. http://www.arpansa.gov.au/radiationprotection/factsheets/index.cfm

The European Commission Recommendation for public RF exposure “Council Recommendation of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0Hz to 300 GHz) (1999/519/EC)” is available from:

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/electr_equipment/lv/rec519.pdf

The World Health Organisation have a comprehensive web site giving information about EMF and health this can be found at
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/en/