Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I seek that the Leader call the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, to the House to discuss the new report by the European Environment Agency on mobile telephone masts and mobile telephones and their possible effect on health. Its author, Dr. David Gee, reports to the European Commission and the European Parliament. The report cautions the Government that it must apply the precautionary principle on the possible health effects of mobile telephone masts and mobile telephones. It urges the Government to have the highest standards in terms of emissions for mobile telephone masts. At present, we have the highest emissions in the world from mobile telephone masts.

I sound a word of caution. It took 57 years to prove that tobacco causes lung cancer. We do not have 57 years to wait to prove that mobile telephone masts cause cancer. The Irish people expect us to act in their best interests and to act against any vested interests. The March 2007 report of the then Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has been superseded by other reports in Israel, Germany and beyond which state that there is now evidence that after ten years of mobile telephone usage there is a risk of cancer.

I must declare a personal interest in this. My uncle and aunt lived 100m from a mobile telephone mast in Kenmare and both died of cancer. I cannot say the mobile telephone mast was the cause of their deaths but if it was, I hope no one else suffers this loss. I urge the Government to apply the precautionary principle and to act in the best interests of the Irish people.