Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 213: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to ensure that mobile phone masts are not located in the vicinity of schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22039/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that the drafting of Planning and Development Regulations relating to mobile phone masts is a matter for the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The erection of such masts is subject to normal planning regulations which are administered by the relevant Local Authority. I am aware that the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government issued guidelines on electrocommunications Antennae and Support Structures to Planning Authorities in 1996 and that these guidelines are still in place.

In 2005 the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources issued a report titled "Report on non-ionising radiation from mobile phone handsets and masts". On foot of the recommendations of the report that Department established an inter-departmental committee to examine the health effects, if any, of non-ionising radiation. I understand that this committee in their report concluded that no adverse short or long-term health effects have been found from exposure to the radio frequency signals produced by mobile phones and base station transmitters.