Vol. 526 No. 6
306 Ms Clune asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, further to Parliamentary Question No. 230 of 23 May 2000 he has completed his examination of the Ste wart report entitled, Mobile Phones and Health; if the recommendations of the report are contained in the guidelines on telecommunications antennae and support structures issued to planning authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27284/00]
The report of the independent expert group on mobile phones, the Stewart report, entitled, Mobile Phones and Health, to which the Deputy refers was published in the UK and contains a series of recommendations relating, inter alia, to planning, health, etc. My remit relates to planning and I have had the report examined in that context.
The guidelines for planning authorities on telecommunications antennae and support structures were published by my Department in July 1996. The purpose of the guidelines was to assist planning authorities, An Bord Pleanála, operators of mobile telecommunications services and the general public by providing guidance on dealing with telecommunications masts and base stations within the planning system. Given the concern expressed during the public consultation process on the guidelines, a statement on health and safety aspects, which the Departments of Health and Children and Public Enterprise agreed with my Department, was included as an appendix to the guidelines. I am satisfied that the planning issues raised by the Stewart report are adequately dealt with in Ireland under current legislation and the guidelines for planning authorities on telecommunications antennae and support structures. The recommendations of the Stewart report in relation to the health effects of mobile phones are a matter for the Department of Health and Children while those in relation to the auditing of radiation emissions from masts and base stations are a matter for the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation.
