John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank Members for their contributions to the debate. I even include Senator McHugh's contribution regarding salmon. I am sure the House will return to that issue on another day.

Mobile telecommunications services play a vital role in the social and economic development of Ireland. The deployment of advanced telecommunications infrastructure, including the latest generation of mobile telephone networks, is critical for Ireland's competitiveness. The quarterly report of the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, of September 2006 shows there are 4.37 million mobile subscribers in Ireland. There are now more mobile telephones in operation than people in Ireland, with a penetration rate of 103%. In that quarter there were more than 1.7 billion minutes of mobile voice calls; almost 1.5 billion SMS messages; an average of 114 SMS messages per subscription per month; and almost 7.7 million multimedia messages. These statistics highlight clearly the importance of the mobile telephone in Irish society today.

However, I am always aware of the concerns people raise regarding the potential health effects, if any, of the use of mobile telephones and the base stations required to build efficient and effective, national networks. I acknowledge that real fears exist among certain parts of the community in respect of the health impacts of such networks. I am sympathetic to and understanding of such fears and the concerns that underpin them.

While being cognisant of these concerns, the Department is also responsible for policy regarding the development and promotion of wireless communication technologies for the benefit of Ireland. It constantly seeks the most accurate, expert and up-to-date information on any potential health risks of these technologies. My Department is guided in these matters by the advice from international expert bodies, such as the World Health Organisation and the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection, ICNIRP. These bodies continually examine the totality of the scientific and medical evidence available so we have the most up to date and accurate information in regard to the potential health effects, if any, of electromagnetic fields.

My Department participates in the process of scientific review and the setting of standards, working with the World Health Organisation and other bodies such as the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety, to ensure that the technologies we use are safe. The World Health Organisation co-ordinates scientific research on an international basis through its EMF project, to which Ireland contributes, and periodically publishes environmental health criteria documents analysing the most up to date research. I am advised that the World Health Organisation is currently preparing an environmental health criteria report on the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields used by mobile telephony. ICNIRP is an independent body comprised of leading international medical and scientific experts. It works closely with the World Health Organisation and continually examines the available scientific medical evidence to set limits for the protection of the public.

The international scientific and medical consensus is that no adverse health effects have been demonstrated to have been caused by electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by mobile phones and telecommunication masts below the limits developed by ICNIRP and endorsed by the World Health Organisation and European Union. These limits have been adopted in Ireland and are enforced for mobile and other telecommunications services, as appropriate, by ComReg, the regulator, which audits approximately 100 sites annually. In 2003 and 2004, ComReg conducted, in liaison with my Department, an audit of 401 sites. No site audited to date has been found to breach the limits and most measurements are typically less than one-thousandth of the limits. To date, over 12% of sites nationwide have been audited.

Planning permission is generally required for communications masts. I am advised by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government that the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 set out certain exemptions in this area. These include, subject to certain conditions, the attachment of additional antennae to an existing antenna support structure; the erection of an antenna support structure in place of an existing antenna support structure; and the attachment of antennae to certain existing structures, such as telegraph poles, electricity pylons and certain public or commercial buildings.

The demand for additional antennae arises from the expectation of the public to be able to use its phones anywhere and at any time. Where the demand for services is high, a large number of base station antennae, each serving a very small area, are required. These are mainly required in towns and urban areas and particularly in the commercial areas. The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government published guidelines for planning authorities on telecommunications antennae and support structures in 1996. These guidelines facilitate planning authorities, An Bord Pleanála, the licensed providers of mobile telecommunications services and the public by providing guidance on dealing with these developments within the planning system.

The guidelines set out a locational hierarchy in respect of the siting of radio masts and advise that free-standing masts should only be located within or in the immediate surrounds of smaller towns or villages as a last resort. If such a location should become necessary, the masts and antennae should be designed and adapted for the specific location. In the vicinity of larger towns and in city suburbs, operators should endeavour to locate in industrial estates or in industrially zoned land.

The guidelines further advise that free-standing masts should only be located in a residential area or beside schools as a last resort and if all the alternatives are unavailable or unsuitable. Under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities are required to have regard to any ministerial guidelines in the performance of their functions. The health concerns of some members of the public of the public were highlighted in the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on non-ionising radiation from mobile phone handsets and masts, which was published in June 2005. This report made a number of recommendations about the continuing safety of mobile phones. Among these recommendations were that the Radiological Protection Act 1991 be amended so that the monitoring of non-ionising radiation would be within the remit of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, RPII; that an independent board be appointed to review the published scientific data from the Irish perspective; the setting up of a non-statutory-advisory mobile phone safety users group; that no mobile phone handsets should be allowed for sale in Ireland unless they are certified as complying with the ICNIRP standard; that results of emission testing on masts and antennae be published on the websites of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, the RPII and ComReg; and that planning guidelines and planning exemptions be examined with a view to ensuring that no electromagnetic emissions or radio frequency emissions-emitting equipment is permitted to be sited near health centres, schools or other sensitive sites such as playgrounds or pitches.

The Government set up an interdepartmental committee in September 2005 to report on appropriate actions on these recommendations and examine Government policy with regard to any potential health effects of electromagnetic fields, if any. My Department is chairing this committee, which includes representatives from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government; the Department of Health and Children; the RPII, the Health and Safety Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the Chief Science Adviser. In an effort to ensure it has the most up to date scientific and medical evidence available to it, the committee has established an expert group to prepare a report on the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields. This report will provide both a comprehensive review of the latest scientific evidence and international consensus in regard to the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields and recommendations on policy options based on this scientific evidence.

The expert group is chaired by Dr Michael Repacholi, the former co-ordinator for the radiation and environmental health unit in the World Health Organisation. In addition, Dr. Eric van Rongen from the Health Council of the Netherlands; Dr. Anthony Staines from the faculty of medicine, University College Dublin; and Dr. Tom McManus, the former chief technical adviser to my Department, have participated in the group. The group brings many years of knowledge, expertise and experience to play in the provision of independent and impartial advice. Covering many of the diverse specialist areas required to interpret and assess the multitude of international research studies, their combined experience will prove of great benefit to the work of the interdepartmental committee and to Ireland. The group is now finalising its report, which will cover all aspects of potential health effects of electromagnetic fields, including radiofrequency fields used in mobile telephony, extremely low frequency fields used for electricity power distribution, static fields used for medical imaging, potential risks to children and the question of whether some individuals may be sensitive to these fields.

As part of its review, the expert group sought submissions from individuals, local authorities, industry and concerned citizens' groups. These submissions provided the group with the key relevant questions raised by the respondents. It met with representatives of some of these in February 2005 where further information was sought by the expert group regarding the issues faced from an Irish perspective.

The issues raised with the expert group included the question of how the Government and key stakeholders can communicate the potential risks more effectively, the medical and scientific basis for the condition known as electrosensitivity, the scientific basis for the ICNIRP guidelines, whether a minimum distance should be set for locating antennae near facilities such as schools and hospitals and the research and international participation that should be undertaken by Ireland in this area. This information has allowed the expert group to address its report to specific concerns of the stakeholders, including the Irish people; to ensure the important issues can be fully addressed; and to include answers to those questions that have been raised by the public. It is not possible to present the recommendations of the interdepartmental committee at this time as its work is ongoing and is not due to completed until the end of the year.

I recognise that the issues raised here today are important. I am conscious that my Department is responsible for the development of communications infrastructure. However, at the same time, my Department is also responsible for advising the public of any potential health risks of electromagnetic fields arising from this infrastructure. This creates a potential conflict of interest within my Department. I am satisfied that the advice I have received to date is unbiased and the most accurate available. However, given the potential for a conflict of interest, an independent source of expertise and advice outside of my Department would be preferable.

The motion calls on the Government to empower the RPII to carry out monitoring of non-ionising radiation emissions. The report of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has also recommended that responsibility for non-ionising radiation matters must be given to the institute. The institute has statutory responsibility solely for matters pertaining to ionising radiation. I recognise the benefits in having an independent one stop shop for the public to access all relevant expertise and advice in regard to ionising and non-ionising radiation. Though these are separate issues, the dangers of ionising radiation are real and proven and many of the necessary skills regarding communication with the public could be shared resources.

The Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and I eagerly await the publication of the expert group's report and the outcome of the interdepartmental committee's deliberations. The Government will be then in a position to make a decision on how to ensure that, going forward, the Government and the public can receive the best, most impartial and expert information on these matters.