Vol. 491 No. 4
95 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if a deal was agreed with his Department in relation to the erection of mobile telephone masts on garda stations; and, if so, if he will provide details of the agreement. [12427/98]
105 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the benefits, if any, members of the Garda Síochána get when a mobile telephone mast is erected on their station. [12460/98]
106 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the Garda Síochána received a discount on the use of mobile telephones in view of the fact that the masts are erected on Garda stations. [12461/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 95, 105 and 106 together.
There is a contractual agreement with Esat Digifone allowing them to install mobile telephony equipment at specified Garda stations subject to certain conditions. These conditions include a requirement that Esat Digifone comply fully with planning requirements, health and safety legislation, the Radiological Protection Act, 1991, and all relevant guidelines which may be set down from time to time by the International Radiation Protection Association.
In return, Esat Digifone agreed to pay the full commercial rental value of each site; allow the Garda Síochána access to their other sites as required to install Garda radio equipment and to use Digifone masts; provide the Garda Síochána with capacity on the Digifone network for Garda communications use; replace or erect new Garda masts where necessary; and, finally, supply the force with a specified number of mobile phones free of charge to be distributed for operational purposes, together with use of Digifone's GSM network in respect of those phones, free of call charges, so long as they remain within the Digifone network. In addition, a further 100 Garda mobile phones were connected to the Digifone network with the same conditions applying. Calls made outside of the Digifone network attract charges at cost only.
Masts used for mobile telephones at Garda stations are no different to some of those masts currently in use or planned for future usage by the Garda Síochána in the context of a proposed radio replacement programme. Therefore, the benefit of such masts to Garda members has to be viewed from an operational perspective in that they form part of the infrastructure necessary to ensure that members on the beat or in patrol cars can keep in contact with their stations at all times.
