Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what checks they have carried out on the full-body scanners, built by L3 Communications Holdings, which are used at United Kingdom airports; when these checks were carried out, and by whom; what was the outcome of the checks with respect to safety; and whether that outcome was shared with the airport authorities.

All security scanners (also known as body scanners) deployed in the UK use millimetre wave technology. The technology must meet the safety requirements set out in Commission Regulation (EU) No 1141/2011 and Council Recommendation 1999/519/EU for the protection of the health of workers and the general public. Manufacturers must ensure their Security Scanner equipment conform to these standards and that they also comply with requirements for electromagnetic compatibility to ensure they do not interfere with other electronic devices. This is conducted by independent third parties. To be used in UK airports Security Scanner must additionally comply with security performance standards as defined in UK regulations. Compliance with the security requirements is conducted by the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) before being approved by the Department for Transport for operational use. UK Airports are informed of the results through an approved equipment list on the GOV.UK website.