Telephony Masts (Hansard, 19 December 2000)

§ Mrs. Organ
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many outstanding planning applications there are in England and Wales for base station masts for mobile telephony; how many are in(a) areas of outstanding natural beauty, (b) national parks and (c) national forests; and how many applications have been given consent in the last (1) three months and (2) six months. [142728]

§ Ms Beverley Hughes
The Department does not hold such information.

§ Mrs. Organ
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received from health and other academic experts about the distance between(a) settlements and (b) dwellings and the location of a base station mast for mobile telephony. [142563]

§ Ms Beverley Hughes
In response to public concern about the possibility of health effects from mobile phone base stations, the Government set up the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (chaired by Sir William Stewart). The Group considered health effects from the use of mobile phones, base stations and transmitters. In carrying out the review, the Group gathered a wide range of views and a call for evidence was placed in the national daily newspapers and the scientific press. A comprehensive review of relevant research was carried out as part of the review and this helped to inform the Group's conclusions and recommendations. The Group published its report on mobile phones and health on 11 May 2000.
The Group's report, which took into account evidence from health and other academic experts, recommended the establishment of clearly defined physical exclusion zones around base station antennas, which delineate areas within which exposure guidelines may be exceeded. Operators have a duty under the Health and Safety legislation to ensure that their work activities, which includes the 116W operation of their apparatus, do not present a risk to employees and the general public. The Health and Safety Executive would therefore expect operators to have measures in place to prevent access by members of the public to areas where they might exceed exposure guidelines. The report did not recommend the introduction of a minimum distance between masts and settlements or dwellings.

§ Mrs. Organ
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on planning and safety guidelines for the siting of base station masts for mobile telephony. [142568]

§ Ms Beverley Hughes
Telecommunications operators have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and the Management of the Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to ensure that so far as is reasonably practicable, their work activities—which would include the installation and operation of their equipment—do not expose people to risks to their health and safety.
The Government's statutory adviser, the National Radiological Protection Board, has published guidelines on limiting exposure to electromagnetic radiation. All mobile phone transmission equipment should meet these guidelines. Following publication of the Stewart report on mobile phones and health in May 2000, the Government accepted that, as a precautionary measure, the emissions from mobile phone base stations should meet the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines for public exposure as expressed in the EU Council Recommendation of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300GHz). Most base stations already meet the ICNIRP guidelines and all new base stations will do so.
Health considerations and public concern can in principle be material considerations in determining applications for planning permission and prior approval. Whether such matters are material in a particular case is ultimately a muter for the courts. It is for the decision-maker (usually the local planning authority) to determine what weight to attach to such considerations in any particular case. However, it is the Government's view that if a proposed development meets the ICNIRP guidelines it should not be necessary for an authority, in processing an application, to consider health effects further.