Sir, - You report (The Irish Times, July 31st) that the Department of Education has decided to take no action on the siting of telecommunications masts near schools as it considers that such "health and safety" issues are the responsibility of each school authority. In the UK, David Blunkett, Minister for Education, sent letters to all schools advising a precautionary approach, and in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy and parts of the US, mobile phone masts may not be sited near schools. This is because recent research suggests that children are more vulnerable to radiation from mobile communications because of their smaller bodies and thinner bones.
Appeals by schools against the siting of masts nearby are made to An Bord Pleanala. However, the board has a strategic planning role and does not consider health issues to be relevant when determining an appeal. So the conundrum continues. It appears that granting mobile licences and building telecommunications infrastructure is such a priority that no Government Department is prepared to take action on behalf of schools and pupils. While evidence on the effects of low-level radiation remains inconclusive, why does the Government not advocate a precautionary approach, so that the "beam of greatest intensity" from a mast cannot fall anywhere near school grounds? - Yours, etc.,
Melanie Taylor, Eaton Square, Monkstown, Co Dublin.