5G Freedom of Information requests

Well I have just received a response to my second foi request from Herts County Council.

Reference number: FOI/RAP/06/19/17627



On 10th June 2019 we received the following request for information from you:-



Our Response



Your request for information has been considered under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 I can confirm that Hertfordshire County Council does hold some of the information you have requested, and can respond as follows:-



Thank you for your response to FOI request no FOI/ENV/05/19/17522



I now wish further information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000



1. Given the many reports from numerous experts worldwide in the field of 5G .Does Hertfordshire County Council have a duty of care as a legal obligation ?

No



2. Will Hertfordshire County Council carry out due diligence regarding any and all applications for 5G emitters to be sited on public land or affixed to street furniture ?

This information is not held. There are no current plans or applications on land we own or are responsible for.



Procedures have been documented for earlier 3G masts and the Council intends to update them, but no agreed timescale is in place for this.



3. Please provide details of Indemnity Insurance held by Hertfordshire County Council which indemnifies the Council from claims arising from exposure to 5G (non ionising radiation).

There is no indemnity for 5G



In the event that Hertfordshire County Council is not covered for any claim arising in relation to question 3 above, please list the department or position held within Hertfordshire County Council with responsibility for approving and signing off on any permissions granted regarding 5G.

We do not hold this information



If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, quoting the reference above. To find out more about Freedom of Information, please visit http://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/your-council/work/foi/



If you are unhappy with the way the County Council has handled your request for information you may request an internal review of the request. This will be carried out by a member of the County Council Legal Services Team, who has had no prior involvement with the request. Requests for an internal review should be sent to the Information Governance Unit at the address above.



If you are unhappy with the outcome of the internal review you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to investigate your complaint. You should write to: FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.



Yours sincerely





Ingrid Howard

Information Access Practitioner

Information Access Team

Hertfordshire County Council

Postal Point CHN 320

County Hall,

Hertford, SG13 8DQ

01992 555848 (25848)

Email: information.governance@hertfordshire.gov.uk



****Disclaimer****

The issue I have is with the tone of their response.
As a concerned member of the community you should be treated with a more polite, helpful and full response. Not curt replies like this, as if you are the enemy.

There is no question that emissions from these masts create harm and illness.

daveiron wrote:
2.       Will Hertfordshire County Council carry out due diligence regarding any and all applications for 5G emitters to be sited on public land or affixed to street furniture ?

This information is not held.  There are no current plans or applications on land
we own or are responsible for.

I detect a sideways maneuver here.

In the SUN Today "Vodaphone has turned on it's 5 G "

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9425325/vodafone-switches-on-5g-network/#comments

Its my intention to "Notice" all 78 councilors .

All suggestions as to content would be welcome.

Yes this is an American guy but what he’s saying WILL affect us here too!!!!

https://youtu.be/uoYTFaiP8DY

sharpy to add:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1hkv2Upww

may be the only thing to do will be to physically take down the antennae ourselves

Agreed LS, Once they are installed it may be the only solution. however with the level of tech now, it would come as no surprise if many were fitted with small cameras ,so you would need to factor that in.

In the meantime I am still of the belief that threatening their personal liability should be the way to go.

Probably more authoritative than The Sun, but seeming to confirm it.  From Vodafone ..
Their 5G plan  .. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/network/5g
Actual current coverage checker update to include 5G .. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/network/status-checker

Similar for EE ..
Planned ...  https://ee.co.uk/why-ee/5g-on-ee/5g-uk-coverage
Actual ... https://ee.co.uk/why-ee/mobile-coverage

Neither O2 nor Three yet show live 5G on their equivalent checkers.

Following on from the response from Herts County Council ( above) & with their references to them having no duty of care or liability.I have FOIed the Health & Safety Executive,with regards 5G.

1. Do Local Authorities and County Councils have a duty of care to the public ?
2. Do the above authorities have a liability in regard to public safety ?
3. Who is responsible for ensuring there safe operation ?

Response ; Regarding Question 1&2- All public bodies have a duty of care and liabilities to the public just depends what the issue is and in this case Ofcom are the organization to contact.

This has now prompted a FOI to Ofcom. will update as and when.

Ok,
Received today from Ofcom.

In response to question 3,Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for advising on EMF emissions
exposure and we take their recommendations into account in how we manage radio waves. They
have found no evidence that 5G poses any new health risks compared to previous mobile
technologies. The radio waves that will be used for 5G have been used safely in telecoms and other
services for many years. They are used to deliver services such as TV broadcasting,wireless
broadband and satellite connections.

A summary of PHE advice on radio waves,including relevant research,can be accessed in the
following link: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electromagnetic-fields#radio-waves. As
noted there,the PHE's position is that exposure to radio waves should comply with the guidelines
published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (the "ICNIRP
Guidelines"). The 2016 Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development in England (the "Code
of Practice").states that mobile " operators will continue to develop their networks responsibly and
are committed to ...[the ICNIRP Guidelines]".This Code of Practice,developed by a working group
including representatives of Government and mobile operators,explains that mobile operators will
demonstrate their compliance with the ICNRP Guidelines by providing a declaration that they
comply with Recommendation 1999/519/EC made by the European Council (which is based on the
ICNIRP Guidelines) when applying for planning permission for a new site or a change to an existing
site.

You may find it helpful to browse through our responses to previous Freedom of Information
requests on the subject of 5G here : https:www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/foi-dp/foi-responses.

If you have any queries,please contact information.requests@ofcom.org.uk. Please remember to
quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely

Jerin John

Will have a read through when I have a spare half hour thanks for posting DI

Had a quick look at PHE site . I'll study it further ,but already i can see its full of BS so a foi will be going
to them shortly.
Be good to see others asking them questions.

daveiron wrote:Ok,
Received today from Ofcom.

In response to question 3,Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for advising on EMF emissions
exposure and we take their recommendations into account in how we manage radio waves. They
have found no evidence that 5G poses any new health risks compared to previous mobile
technologies. The radio waves that will be used for 5G have been used safely in telecoms and other
services for many years. They are used to deliver services such as TV broadcasting,wireless
broadband and satellite connections.

A summary of PHE advice on radio waves,including relevant research,can be accessed in the
following link: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electromagnetic-fields#radio-waves. As
noted there,the PHE's position is that exposure to radio waves should comply with the guidelines
published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (the "ICNIRP
Guidelines"). The 2016 Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development in England (the "Code
of Practice").states that mobile " operators will continue to develop their networks responsibly and
are committed to ...[the ICNIRP Guidelines]".This Code of Practice,developed by a working group
including representatives of Government and mobile operators,explains that mobile operators will
demonstrate their compliance with the ICNRP Guidelines by providing a declaration that they
comply with Recommendation 1999/519/EC made by the European Council (which is based on the
ICNIRP Guidelines) when applying for planning permission for a new site or a change to an existing
site.

You may find it helpful to browse through our responses to previous Freedom of Information
requests on the subject of 5G here : https:www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/foi-dp/foi-responses.

If you have any queries,please contact information.requests@ofcom.org.uk. Please remember to
quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely

Jerin John  

Hi Dave. Did you see anything on their responses to FOI questions link? Just blank when I open it.

Will chase that up monday, followed by more questions concerning their BS

Note their clever wording.
"
Received today from Ofcom.
They have found no evidence that 5G poses any new health risks compared to previous mobile
technologies."

Nasty. They know already that 4g is dangerous. Look at Teatchet's posts identifying this.

I have found several phrases & words that I will be requiring clarification from them .I will be going through
it in more detail this week.