§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures his Department has taken to enforce the conditions of telecommunications licences that operators provide details of the expected locations of all telecommunications apparatus before giving notice of the installation of any apparatus in a particular planning authority area; what penalties are applicable when this condition is breached; and if he will list the instances in which this condition has been broken in each of the last five years, by each operator. [108501]
§ Ms HewittEnforcement in relation to these conditions is a matter for local planning authorities. Failure to pre-notify expected locations of apparatus to the local planning authority would deprive the operator of permitted development rights under Part 24 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 and would subject him to normal planning law. The local planning authority would then be responsible for taking action under normal planning enforcement procedures. Remedies could include a requirement to remove the apparatus concerned. As this is a matter for planning authorities, DTI does not receive details of breaches.
§ Mr. NormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who is responsible for monitoring the level of power densities produced by telecommunications masts; what proportion of masts were checked in 1999; and if he will list by operator the masts found to produce power densities in excess of the limits set by the NRPB in each of the last three years. [108496]
§ Ms HewittThe responsibility for monitoring the level of power densities produced by telecommunications masts rests with the operators of the masts in accordance with their duties under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. The Health and Safety Executive requires operators to prevent access by members of the public to areas, usually within a couple of metres of the antennae, where power densities may exceed NRPB guidelines.
The Radiocommunications Agency will investigate complaints about emissions from telecommunications masts, though the cost of any report on a particular site must be borne by the complainant. To my knowledge, no mast has been found where members of the public are exposed above NRPB guideline limits. No information is held on the proportion of masts checked in 1999.