Response from the BBC. This has been through an OCR so there may be a textual oddity or two.

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Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("the Act") dated 21 July 2005. Your reference number for this request is RFxxxxxxxxxxxx.

I note that you have made a previous freedom of information request (19 April 2005, RFxxxxxxxxxxxx) that is substantially similar but as your new request involves different contracts we are treating this as a fresh request. I have quoted your six questions and provided corresponding answers below.

I would like to point out that "TV Licensing" is a trading name used by the companies contracted by the Licensing Authority (the BBC) to administer the collection of television licence fees and enforcement of the television licensing system. As you will be aware it is the BBC that is subject to the Act, not our contractors, other than for information that they hold on our behalf (as per section 3(2)(b) of the Act).

The majority of the administration of TV Licensing is contracted to Capita Business Services Ltd (Capita), with the administration of the Cash Easy Entry payment schemes contracted to Revenue Management Services Ltd, and marketing and public relations activities contracted to the AMV Consortium. Therefore our responses relate to information held by these contractors on our behalf. You will also find the responses below are substantially similar to those provided previously.

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2 - Why did the TVL introduce 0870 numbers? Please provide any supporting information, for example meeting notes etc.

Please note that TV Licensing has used non-geographic numbers since 5 April 1995 and that there are a number of reasons why TV Licensing decided to and continues to, use 0870 numbers.

There are three important operational and technical advantages in 0870 numbers compared with geographic numbers such as 0207, 0141 etc. First, 0870 calls (and the other `intelligent numbers' as they are called ) can be routed to different places, such as our different call centres, at different times, Secondly, unexpected peaks in demand can be coped with through prioritising the different types of call, use of IVR and by pre-recorded messages. Thirdly, the BBC partners such as Capita, and their sub-contractors, deliver services according to contractual agreements. 0870 and other special numbers enable sophisticated statistical reporting, to assist both us and our contractors to manage the performance of the call centre and track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. These three advantages would be lost with geographic numbers.

Another benefit is equal access from all over the UK - everyone pays the rate regardless of where they are calling from (although different providers may levy slightly different charges, it is the most equitable framework in this regard).

The 0870 and 0845 tariffs are also the best way of delivering value for money for licence fee payers. It avoids the costs of an 0800 freephone number (which the company has to pay for) which is known to stimulate demand. The rebate from 0870 numbers also enabled the call automation systems to be self-financing to a degree which avoids costs to the BBC.

A preliminary search of our files has not revealed any relevant supporting information and has not enabled us to ascertain whether the information would be held in a particular archived file. Therefore I estimate that to deal with this part of your request by searching across a large number of files would take more than two and a half days; under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we are allowed to refuse to handle the request if it would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit has been set by the Regulations (SI 2004/3244) as being £450 (equivalent to two and a half days work, at an hourly rate of £25).

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4 - Which company supplies the non-geographic numbers?

BT provides these.

5 - Is TVL aware of the difficulties experienced by overseas callers attempting to dial non-geographic numbers and the increased costs faced by UK callers in contacting these numbers?

Our contractors, TV Licensing, are fully aware that customers, who may wish to contact them from an overseas address, may experience difficulties using nongeographic telephone numbers. They receive very few contacts from people living abroad and for this reason customers are asked to communicate either by e-mail, through the N Licensing website, www.tvlicensing.co.uk or by post to Customer Services, TV Licensing, Bristol BS98 1TL, UK.

6 - The use of 0870 numbers for public enquiries contravenes the government's own advice regarding the operation of call centres (source: COI http//www.coi.gov.uk/ccaldownload.php 'cost to citizen' update). Why is the COI's advice is being ignored in that NL, as a public-facing department, continues to operate 0870 numbers? Has the COI advice been considered and if it has, please provide meeting minutes and any other supporting information that relates to this issue.

As previously stated in correspondence to you, the COI guidance you refer to is internal guidance for relevant HM Government departments and, to our knowledge, is not HM Government policy or practice. However we believe that N Licensing's use of these types of numbers clearly meets the guidelines from the COI.

TVL offers a variety of contact mechanisms and uses different cost models for differing market segments. All calls for our cash scheme customers are on 0845 numbers which are charged at what was known as a local rate, as are the help lines for Over 75's. Customers can also choose to contact us online, or visit a Post Office to pick up literature or buy a licence both of which are either free to use or the cost is controlled by the customer. In addition to these channels there is still the post; the cost of a second class stamp is equivalent to the cost of a telephone call. In offering this mix of contact channels we more than meet the COI recommendations of ensuring that 'citizens' are not prevented from obtaining their rights through by cost barrier.

You have the right to seek an internal review of my refusal to release the information referred to above. You can either email foi@bbc.co.uk or write to BBC Freedom of Information, PO BOX 48339, London, W12 7XH, UK. If you are not satisfied with internal review you then have the right to seek a further review from the Information Commissioner. Please see www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk or contact the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700 for details.

Policy Advisor BBC TV Licensing Management Team

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Quote:
I believe their reply was exactly the same as BBC's and was nothing new or surprising.

I note that their website contact us doesn't state the cost of calls to them so I'll email them with the ASA/CAP guildlines (although technically the ASA/CAP wouldn't cover their website but hope they don't realise this).

Similarly, 0800 328 2020 also works.