Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

Even if they put up an antennae on a mast there should be communication with the council to approve it. It is fine to say we included exemptions in the Planning and Development Act 2000. The impetus at that time was to accelerate the development of mobile telecommunications. The Department put pressure on us saying that modern telecommunications would enhance industrial development. The Planning and Development Act took that into consideration. Although we have more than 4,500 masts around the country, any of us will have noticed that there are two or three planning applications for masts per month. That is surprising to many people who would have thought with the length of time we have had masts and mobile telephones we would be reaching saturation. The Minister said earlier that there are more than 4 million mobile telephones in Ireland and a penetration rate of 103%. One would have anticipated a diminishing rather than an increasing number of mast applications.

I made the point earlier that there is no justification for three different companies within a small area in a townland having three different masts. It is wrong.