[Scottish parliament]

Business Bulletin No. 145/2006: Monday 16 October 2006

S2W-29032 Mr Kenneth Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive how many 0870 numbers it operates.

S2W-29033 Mr Kenneth Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive which of its services operate an 0870 number.

S2W-29034 Mr Kenneth Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the services for which it has responsibility that operate an 0870 number, also listing the telephone number.

S2W-29035 Mr Kenneth Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on charging individuals who phone a service for which it is responsible.

S2W-29036 Mr Kenneth Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive which of its departments operate 0870 phone lines.

[Scottish parliament]

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or...

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): I listened with considerable interest to Richard Baker's speech. He said many interesting and valuable things. Of course, the jobcentre plus staff are committed and engaged. During the recent problems at Richards, they went beyond the narrow brief of their job. That is an example of why the public services, in many instances, have an advantage over the services that are provided

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by private companies. The problem is that the proposed changes put at risk the public service ideal. I am sad that Richard Baker was unable to sign the motion in Brian Adam's name, but I take it that he is supportive of it. If MPs failed to relay their constituents' concerns, whatever their individual views, they would reap the whirlwind. If those MPs are part of the Administration that is making changes that could potentially disadvantage their constituents, they will be judged not on their ability, but on their achievement.

There are some important general issues around all this. We must consider innovative ways of delivering benefits and ensuring that people in our community are able to access the benefits to which their situation entitles them. In Aberdeen, there are encouraging signs and, in some places, one can go to one address and access a range of services. However, it appears that the changes that are envisaged might well put that at risk and mean that people will have to visit many doors to get the same support as they received before.

We should not underestimate the real difficulties that people have with paperwork. My wife, like me, is a mathematician, who has made a successful business career for herself. However, like many others, faced with her tax form, she kept it right to the end until, finally, on 25 January, she said, "I need your help." By the way, I refused to give her help, on the basis that she is at least as intelligent as I am—and probably more intelligent—and that she might blame me for making a mess of it. The point is that the people who most need the support of a range of benefits are those who are least able to deal with the paperwork.

If we take that further, it is obvious that moving support to the telephone will create more barriers. As my colleague Brian Adam mentioned, it will create an economic barrier because the 0845 dialling code, which was originally introduced as a local-rate call that could be delivered nationally, is now tied to a fictional local rate that no telephone company charges that now exceeds what the telephone companies charge for national calls. The practice has been severely criticised in a recent Office of Communications report, which also criticised the charges for 0870 numbers, so I hope that we will see some change on that.

However, the proposed closures will also remove the essential across-the-desk contact that allows the adviser to see the body language of the person who is seeking help and the recipient to get feedback. Those with the greatest needs are precisely the people who will not get what they need without human access. Like other members, I suspect, I have used the services of DWP staff for many of my constituents who I thought would benefit from the benefits check facility that is

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available. That service is put at risk by the proposed changes across Scotland.

I say yes to innovation and to delivering services through a single door. However, simply paying off staff and closing offices will contribute nothing to addressing social exclusion.

[Welsh assembly]

http://www.assemblywales.org/n0000000000000000000000000035384.pdf

5. Premium Rate Numbers for GP Surgeries
5.1 The adoption of 0870 National Rate numbers by GP practices is seen as an additional cost to patients. On the 24th February 2005, the Health Minister John Hutton announced a ban on the use of such numbers by General Practices in England.
5.2 Since this announcement Wales has migrated a number of GMS practices over to the low cost 0844 numbers. Network Europe Group (NEG) has facilitated this on behalf of NHS Wales.

Questions for Oral or Written Answer beginning on Monday 14 January 2008

MONDAY 28 JANUARY
Questions for Written Answer


Notices given on Wednesday 9 January
1
N  Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West): To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.
(179010) 
2
N  Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West): To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.
(179008) 
3
N  Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.
(179007) 
4
N  Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West): To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) her Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.
(179009) 
5
N  Rob Marris (Wolverhampton South West): To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many 0845 or similar telephone numbers are used by (a) his Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services.
(179013) 

THURSDAY 7 FEBRUARY
Questions for Written Answer

Notices given on Tuesday 8 January
1
N  Mr Rob Wilson (Reading East): To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whether it is the Government's policy to publish geographic telephone numbers of Government Departments and agencies that use non-geographic numbers for call centres.
(177945)

Provisional Forthcoming Business of the House of Commons
21 - 25 January 2008


Monday 21 January

The House will sit at 2.30pm

Oral Questions - Defence, including Topical Questions
Legislation - European Union (Amendment) Bill - Second reading
Adjournment - 0844 revenue sharing telephone numbers - Mr Graham Stuart

idb wrote on Jan 17^th, 2008 at 11:50pm:

Oh dear. Start again.

If I read the BT tariff sheet correctly the rates of 3.95p and 1p only apply to those on the Light User Scheme, BT Basic or BT Standard Rate, who incur a set up fee of 3p. Most BT landline customers will be on BT Together.

The only actual figures given are incorrect, and surely these are atypical claimants.

In a recent debate (see posting covering this), it was mentioned that around 50% of telephone claims are made using a mobile phone. This renders all of the zero figures meaningless.

The question asked for the “average cost of making a benefit claim", not possible minimum costs giving incorrect figures for a rarely used telephone tariff for only one benefit based on an average call duration. It was the average cost that was requested. That would never be zero.


idb wrote on Jan 17^th, 2008 at 11:50pm:

One may first wish to consider the likelihood of callers being aware of the cost they are incurring so that they could become concerned. One may then wonder if someone who is politely asking about which of a complex array of benefits they may be entitled to receive would wish to start the conversation with a complaint. Some may do this as they angrily demand their rights, but they are no more entitled to fair treatment than those who may adopt a supplicatory tone.

From a political perspective, one may question why we are paying benefits to those who are so wealthy that they may be unconcerned about how they spend money. Those who have no concern about the cost of the call should surely be denied the benefit! Must that concern be expressed?

The answer given suggests that the 50% who call from mobiles do not receive this offer if they have called one of the numbers associated with Attendance allowance, Carers allowance, Disability living allowance, Incapacity benefit, Income support, Jobseeker's allowance, Pension credit or Social fund crisis loans.

In the recent debate (see link to posting above) Ms Flint indicated that the offer to call back applied to all DWP claimamts, not just those claiming the state pension.

Let us hope the hold message says something like “we are sorry for the high cost you may be incurring whilst listening to this message, but as soon as you get through we will be happy to call you back if you are concerned about this”.

There is very good and widely-used technology that will automatically record a request for a call back and schedule it. For those who are prepared to call back to those who are happy to give their number and wait for a call, this technology saves the wasted time, annoyance and totally unnecessary cost incurred by waiting on a dead telephone line.

(Members who are particularly engaged with this issue may wish to provide a suitable briefing for Ms Flint, her DWP officials who wrote this reply, Ms Osborne and others, including those who participated in the earlier debate.)

kk wrote on Jan 18^th, 2008 at 2:44pm:

Many members are in contact with many MPs and others about the various issues raised in these boards.

We seek to find the most effective way of making a change for the better, rather than simply complaining about how things are. Tactical considerations therefore demand that some discretion is shown in who contacts whom, about what issue and when they do it.

Some of us also think it best not to empty their complete in and out mailboxes into the forum, but only to draw attention to matters in the public domain that may be of interest to all readers.

I am sure that some will have picked up on the suggestion at the end of my message. That is no reason why others may not wish to do so also.

David

SilentCallsVictim wrote on Jan 21^st, 2008 at 12:31pm:


The direct link for today's debate appears to be http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=789&rel=ok - currently showing a discussion about the EU. I'll be tuning back in around 5pm EST/10pm GMT, hopefully to see the 0844 debate. Is there any chance that anything productive will occur?!