Vol. 495 No. 7
512 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the plans, if any, he has to introduce legislation or regulations that will require all those erecting mobile telephone masts to first exhaust all opportunities for sharing masts before they submit applications for permission for a new location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21745/98]
In July 1996 my Department issued Guidelines on Telecommunications Antennae and Support Structures. These guidelines set out a hierarchy of suitable locations for the siting of telecommunications masts and at paragraph 4.5 state that "all applicants will be encouraged to share and will satisfy the authority that they have made a reasonable effort to share". In carrying out their planning functions each planning authority is required to have regard to the guidelines.
The interconnection regulations — S.I. No. 15 of 1998 — which the Minister for Public Enterprise signed into law earlier this year, provide that in cases where operators cannot come to an agreement on facility sharing, the Director of Telecommunications Regulations is empowered to intervene to resolve disputes. The director may impose facility or property sharing arrangements after an appropriate period of public consultation, during which all interested parties must be given an opportunity to express their views. Furthermore, I understand a Bill which will provide for an up-to-date and balanced regulatory regime in relation to the development of telecommunications infrastructure, including further provisions in regard to infrastructure sharing, is currently in preparation in the Department of Public Enterprise.
