Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

We spoke last night about bread-and-butter issues in our work as public representatives. This is another one and I applaud Senator Currie for tabling the amendment. On any tall building in a town or on a roadside or on any tall hill, you will suddenly see a mast now. We are all in favour of telecommunications and note their importance but there is a lack of public consultation. As public representatives, we get almost weekly comments on this when a telecommunications mast suddenly appears. As Senator Carrigy said, people are asking why public representatives are not informed. The amendment will allow the public have its say and that is what planning is all about. This is a serious issue and one every public representative in every county has come across, without exception. The amendment should be considered by Government and included in the planning Bill.