Mast Sanity Chair to address MPs on the failure Mobile Phone Operators to live up to the promises given in the so called, and much heralded 'Ten Commitments'. Stated to be the promise of better dealings with the public and public bodies, a format for ensuring that the most sensitive, and controversial sites are filtered out before committing to installing potentially health threatening mobile phone base stations.

Chris Maile will point to areas where operators instead of living up to their promises are actively employing loopholes to sideline even the limited controls that the Government has put in place.

Masts on buildings that do not protrude higher than 4 metres of the building. Licence notification scream the Operators, we only have to give the local authority 28 notice. No permission or control is needed. Mast Sanity say the loophole is unlawful and contrary to the regulations.

Put it on a church spire. The Church has its own planning boards called 'DAC', therefore effectively police their own development proposals, whilst pocketing up to £10,000 per year for each mast approved.

Buy council owned street lamps, then call the antenna 'de minimus' and put up thousands without any permission what so ever, whilst one council department rubs its hands in glee as it counts the profits, whilst the other cringes at the lack of control, and the thousands of complaints.

Put up mini dishes in as many public places as possible keep them small, and we can claim that they are 'small antenna', then put dozens along every high street, and public place. And hey who cares what the council think, we don't have to ask them.

Mast Sanity Chair Chris Maile said: "The Ten Commitments sprouted by the operators is quite frankly a joke. Not one of the operators takes it seriously, and none of them abide by its conditions. But when ever there is public debate the Ten Commitments are brought out as a shining example of the desire of the Operators to weed out installations that are likely to be erected close to sensitive locations, such as schools. Yet when pushed the operators cannot give any positive cases where they have pulled out as a direct consequence of consultations. It is time that the operators had proper control, set out in legislation, self control is failing every community in the country".

END.

EDITORS NOTE: AP Mobile, the all party group of MPs concerned at the rapid expanse of Mobile Phones have invited speakers from the industry and public interest groups to address them on the Ten Commitments. The meeting will be at the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster, London between 4pm and 6pm on Wednesday 17^th July. The meeting will be chaired by Phil Willis MP. Speakers include Chris Maile (Mast Sanity); Mike Dolan (MTAG); and a senior Government Speaker.