Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE)
COMARE advises on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation, both ionising and non-ionising.
Role of the group
COMARE is a Department of Health and Social Care expert committee, but it provides independent advice to all government departments and agencies.
At its meetings, the committee has representatives from:
-
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
-
Department for Communities and Local Government
-
Department of Health and Social Care
-
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland)
-
Environment Agency
-
Food Standards Agency
-
Food Standards Scotland
-
Health and Safety Executive
-
Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland
-
Medical Research Council
-
Ministry of Defence
-
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
-
Office of National Statistics
-
Public Health England
-
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
-
Scottish Government
-
Welsh Government
Terms of reference
To assess and advise government and the devolved administrations on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation and to assess the adequacy of the available data and the need for further research.
Publications
COMARE - files for early reports, statements and other documents
Past documents, including statements and history of the committee, are also held on the committee pages on the National Archives website.
Minutes
21st November 2017:
18th July 2017:
16th March 2017:
22 November 2016:
Archived minutes may also be found on the National Archives website.
Membership
COMARE chooses members for their medical and scientific expertise and has never had members from the nuclear or electrical power supply industries. Current members are:
-
Dr Chris Gibson (Chair)
-
Dr Jane Barrett
-
Dr Paul Darragh (Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland)
-
Dr Frank de Vocht (University of Bristol)
-
Professor John Harrison (Oxford Brookes University)
-
Professor Brenda Howard (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, NERC)
-
Dr Ray Kemp (Lay member)
-
Dr Colin Martin (University of Glasgow)
-
Professor Stephanie McKeown (Ulster University)
-
Dr Tom Nunan (retired)
-
Professor Paul Pharoah (University of Cambridge)
-
Professor Kevin Prise (Queen’s University Belfast)
-
Dr Peter Riley (Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham)
-
Dr David Sutton (NHS Tayside)
-
Professor Roger Taylor (Swansea University)
-
Dr Mireille Toledano (Imperial College, London)
-
Ms Helen Warner (Lay member)
-
Professor Peter Warwick (Loughborough University)
Code of practice
COMARE adheres to the guidelines laid down in the code of practice for scientific advisory committees (Government Office for Science, 2011) as is appropriate and in agreement with the Department of Health.
Contact
Email: comare@phe.gov.uk
COMARE Secretariat
c/o Public Health England
Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards
Chilton
Oxon OX11 0RQ