§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Stewart report on mobile phone masts in relation to 1093W PPG8, with particular reference to the recommendations of the report on main beam transmissions next to sensitive sites. [149182]
§ Yvette CooperThe Stewart report recommended that all telecommunications development be subject to the planning process in order to improve local consultation. On 22 August 2001, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister strengthened public consultation requirements on mast proposals of 15 metres and below and for masts on buildings and structures so that they are exactly the same as applications for planning permission. The changes to the planning arrangements also underlined that school governors must be consulted on all proposals for new masts on or near a school or college.
The Stewart Report also recommended that an independent random, on-going, audit of base stations be carried out to ensure that exposure guidelines are not exceeded. Ofcom (formerly the Radiocommunications Agency) is undertaking the audit, which has been running since December 2000 and has focused on school sites. The results have shown emissions ranging between several hundred to many thousand times below the public exposure guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).