John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for attending this evening to take this important issue of the proposed mobile phone mast which is to be erected on the pension services offices in Sligo city. I am among many from Sligo city and county who object to this mast.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs rents the pension services building and the 300 to 400 employees who work in it are strongly against the proposal. The building also houses a crèche and Summerhill College and several housing estates are in close proximity to the building. The mast is to be erected as part of a nation-wide roll-out deal the OPW has done with a mobile phone company.

People in the area are very angry and annoyed by the manner in which this mast has been proposed, and by the lack of consultation with locals and those working in the area. In particular, the lack of consultation astonished the staff of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. They were given very short notice of the proposed erection of the mast.

There are possible serious health implications from this proposal. It is unfortunate that the OPW can only see euro signs flashing, instead of showing concern for the health of the State's population. It has shown no regard for the level of concern or the annoyance of the people about the proposal. The OPW has suggested that the area would be monitored prior to the mast being erected and that it would also be assessed after the mast has been in place and that if there was a problem, the mast would be removed. This was the message relayed to staff and is an extraordinary proposal. This is not good enough.

People's concerns have nothing to do with monitoring the mast. This is quite simply the wrong spot for it. I am particularly disappointed by the OPW. We are not looking for reasons to put this mast on this building. We have definite reasons it should not go up on the building. If the OPW appreciated the civil servants working in the adjoining areas, it would take their concerns on board. Health implications from such masts have been well documented and it is ridiculous to suggest this building is a suitable location for the mast.

The OPW seems to have little regard for public finances. In today's newspapers we read how it has miscalculated costs and abused taxpayers' money. Does it suggest that we should put the mast up, forgive the huge expense involved and risk serious damage to health, only to take it back down again in a matter of weeks? That is the current proposal, but it does not stand up to examination and lacks credibility. As we all know, the OPW has not got a great track record when it comes to putting the State first. The Committee of Public Accounts, which I chaired up until recent months, today gave the tally of OPW blunders and miscalculations involving taxpayers moneys.

These figures are staggering. The waste of taxpayers' money is simply disgraceful. The OPW has made it obvious that it cannot be trusted to take important decisions. While the OPW has made progress, it is clear that it is still keen to get a quick buck. When one considers that it spent €19 million on unused accommodation for asylum seekers, one can appreciate the OPW's justification for seeking rent from mobile telephone companies.

When the OPW acquired an office for the probation and welfare service in a shopping centre in Dublin, it agreed to pay rent of €150,000 per annum. That amounted to €11.50 per square foot, which was almost double the going rate. The OPW spent a further €1.5 million, or ten times the original estimate, on fitting out the office, which stayed empty for three years. I suggest that such examples are akin to something from a television comedy were it not for the fact that they are terribly tragic rather than funny.

The OPW is responsible for signing the contract to install the mast on the pension service office in Sligo. It is understandable that locals have voiced their opposition to the location of the mast, especially when one considers the track record and credibility of the OPW. I would like the exact details of the level of income that will be received as rent by the OPW from the mobile telephone company in question. Given that the OPW has constantly shown a lack of common sense and demonstrated utter recklessness with taxpayers' money, I understand the annoyance of local people. I would like details of the contract the OPW has agreed with the mobile telephone company so that I can gather full knowledge of why it is so keen to pursue this deal.

It is unthinkable that the OPW is considering the installation of the mast without proper consultation with locals. The proposal is distressing for the hundreds of staff employed in the office, who have held a public meeting about the matter. There is a clear level of dissatisfaction with the unions. I appeal to the Minister of State to take note of the frustration in this regard. When one is investing money, one must remember that one's staff are one's key allies. I refer in this instance to highly competent civil servants who are frustrated and annoyed by the lack of consideration being given to their concerns.

The proposed location of the mast is unsuitable. I ask the Government to reconsider the deal that has been reached. The decision to erect the mast must be reversed in light of the total objection to it in Sligo. I hope the Minister of State will give me some positive news this evening. Given that our economy is booming and the Government has millions of euro to spend, I refuse to believe that the Exchequer needs the small amount of rent that will be received from the mast. It is possible that the additional funds which will accrue to the OPW will be misused and misappropriated as they have been in the past.

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Office of Public Works has direct responsibility for the management of the State's property portfolio. One of its objectives is to ensure that the property portfolio is used in an optimum way in the interests of the State and the taxpayer. In that context, the OPW is trying to extract maximum value from the State's property assets. That involves the granting of licences to telecommunications companies to install communications equipment on a range of State properties in return for an agreed level of fees.

A standard licence agreement has been agreed on foot of negotiations with telecommunications companies. The licence agreement sets out the terms and conditions under which such companies will be allowed to install equipment on State properties. A mobile telephone operator that is granted such a licence will be required to comply with the relevant Health and Safety Acts, operate within current standards and EU regulations and adhere to guidelines on exposure limits to emissions issued by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, ICNIRP. The compliance with health and safety legislation that is required under the licence agreement also applies to future relevant legislation and regulation and the ICNIRP guidelines. Consultants appointed by the OPW will conduct checks on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance with the standards. Licensees will be required to comply fully with normal planning regulations.

The OPW signed a licence agreement with a mobile telephone operator, Vodafone Ireland Limited, on 13 April 2005 for the erection of mobile communication antenna on the State-owned pensions services office at College Road, Sligo. The OPW-appointed telecommunications consultants, Vilicom, have met representatives of the staff of the pensions services office. It has been agreed that emissions readings will be taken before and after installation of the new communication equipment as part of the monitoring process, to ensure that the relevant standards are maintained. I assure the Deputy that the strict framework for the installation of telecommunications equipment on the pensions services office building at College Road, Sligo, will be fully respected.