Chamber and committees

No statistics are held within the NHS on the incidence of leukaemia amongst patients who served in the Gulf War.

The Scottish Executive agrees with the European Committee's proposal that zonal management committees should be set up under a reformed Common Fisheries Policy. The committee's report recommends delegated decision-making powers only after an appropriate transition period. The Executive envisages zonal committees initially having an advisory role but that their scope and function should be subject to periodic review.

An informal meeting of Fisheries Directors is to be held on 11 September. I understand that representatives from all member states with fishing interests in the North Sea have been invited.Assuming the question refers to EU fisheries-related meetings, the Council of Ministers holds regular meetings at both working group and COREPER levels. Details of the EU meetings to be held before the European Fisheries Council on 22 October can be found on the Commission's "Europa" website at http://europa.eu.int/

I have discussed the matter of formal decision-making powers for fisheries regional management committees whenever relevant during my meetings this year with groups and individuals which discussed fisheries issues.

None.As previously stated, the agreed UK position is supportive of the setting up of regional bodies, and that careful consideration should be given to what powers such bodies should have.

In compiling their report, the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) considered existing scientific evidence on the relationship between mobile phone technologies and a number of diseases and behavioural effects. The diseases that have received most scientific attention in this area are cancers.The Executive is not aware of the existence of any clusters of cancers or any other disease that could reasonably be attributed to the distribution of mobile phone masts in Scotland.

No set deadline can be given for the release of any information arising from confidential discussions. The Scottish Executive's Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information recognises that the sensitivity of information will, generally, reduce over time. However, it is noted that consideration must be given to the harm arising from disclosure at the time the request is made, rather than by reference to when the relevant decision was taken.

Information and general advice from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) was taken into account during the preparation of National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 19: Radio Telecommunications. In addition, the NRPB were specifically consulted on a draft of the NPPG.On siting and design, NPPG 19 requires "operators to provide with their applications evidence that consideration has been given to siting and design options". The NPPG also requires that the installation and operation shall meet ICNIRP guidelines on exposure to radiowaves for any area where the public might reasonably gain access. Reasonable steps must be taken to exclude the public from any areas where ICNIRP guidelines might be exceeded.Operational requirements, particularly the need to limit the spread of radiowaves between the "cells" covered by different masts mean that operators are required to restrict these emissions to the lowest levels commensurate with effective operation of the mast. This requirement is also referred to in the NPPG.

Information from the contractor engaged to construct pyres in Scotland during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak indicates that around 70,000 new softwood sleepers were used, 5,000 of which were imported from Austria and Belgium. This accounted for the wood used at just under 40% of the pyres, the remainder being supplied with forestry timbers sourced in Britain. It is not possible to identify what proportion of either of these materials was sourced from stock held in Scotland.

The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, which was set up by the National Radiological Protection Board, has stated that "the balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be a small fraction of guidelines".Because radiowaves spread out rapidly with distance from individual masts, the cumulative effect of a number of local masts will also add up to a small fraction of the relevant guidelines.