An announcement today from the Department of Health shows that "helplines" provided by public bodies can be genuinely free to caller.

The Carers Driect helpline 0808 802 0202 is free to callers from landlines and all major mobile networks.

All 0808 80 numbers fall within the Telephone Helplines Assocation Special Freephone Tariff.

Helpline providers in the voluntary and public sector simply need to apply to the THA for approval to be granted numbers within this range. This will enable them to pay only the cost of calls from landlines, as they do with 0800 numbers, however all the major mobile networks will make no charge to callers.

This is not the same as having an option for call recipients to accept the full cost of calls from mobiles, for which there appears to be little demand, however it does mean that there should be no public service "helpline" offered on 0800.