House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 9 Jan 2006 (pt 98)

9 Jan 2006 : Column 391W

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

0870 Numbers

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 443W, on 0870 numbers, what contractual arrangements her Department has for the provision of the non-profit making 0870 lines. [37640]

Bill Rammell: The Department for Education and Skills normally obtains non profit making 0870 lines from its current telephone service provider as a published service offering within that contract. The exception to that policy is where advanced notification has been provided of an impending Machinery of Government change and, in these cases, non profit making 0870 numbers are obtained outside of the normal contractual arrangements in order to ease transition to the new Department.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 9 Jan 2006 (pt 1)

9 Jan 2006 : Column 5W

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

0870 Numbers

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2005, Official Report,
column 1364W, on 0870 numbers, what contractual arrangements her Department has for the provision of 0870 lines. [37642]

Jim Knight: The core Department's 0870 number is used by callers to the Pet Travel Scheme helpline and is provided by BT which has a minimum contractual period of 12 months. This helpline number was provided by BT in late 1999 so it is no longer bound by a contractual period.

Very useful information idb, taking up Dave’s point, I have sent the following email to Mr Rammell:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
“House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 9 Jan 2006 (pt 98)

9 Jan 2006 : Column 391W

EDUCATION AND SKILLS”

“0870 Numbers”

“Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2005, Official Report, column 443W, on 0870 numbers, what contractual arrangements her Department has for the provision of the non-profit making 0870 lines. [37640]”

“Bill Rammell: The Department for Education and Skills normally obtains non profit making 0870 lines from its current telephone service provider as a published service offering within that contract. The exception to that policy is where advanced notification has been provided of an impending Machinery of Government change and, in these cases, non profit making 0870 numbers are obtained outside of the normal contractual arrangements in order to ease transition to the new Department.”
-------------------------------

Dear Mr. Rammell, I do not understand your answer to the above question, perhaps you can explain.  

During the day, 0870 telephone numbers typically cost a caller 7 to 8 pence per minute, from a land-line.   From a pay-phone or mobile phone, the cost is enormous.

Normal geographical telephone numbers, i.e. numbers starting with 01 or 02, cost between 0p/min to 3p/min depending on the consumers telecom provider.

When the Department for Education and Skills uses 0870 numbers (and for that matter 0845 numbers), they cost the consumer/taxpayer far more than a normal geographical number. By your answer, it appears that your telecom provider(s) must  receive the extra profit,  is that correct?   Can you confirm that the Department or any other agency or department, does not receive any income from the use of 0870 numbers.  Why are they used?

--------------------------------------

To the Department for Education and Skills
rammellb@parliament.uk

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Jan 2006 (pt 21)

<<
HOME DEPARTMENT

0870 Numbers

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the occasions in the last five years on which 0870 telephone numbers have been used by his Department as contact numbers for members of the public; and how much revenue was received from the use of 0870 contact numbers in each of the last five years for which records are available. [24456]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Available records indicate that the 0870 numbers given in the following table have been used by the Home Office and its agencies. On 15 September 2005 the 0870 Home Office general public inquiry number was replaced with a geographical number. The department received no income from calls to the switchboard.

24 Jan 2006 : Column 2010W

The 0870 numbers used by the Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau (INEB) have been in existence since December 1998 and are published widely. The then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, in March 1998 agreed to the use of 0870 numbers on the understanding that IND re-invest monies earned into improving the telephone bureau operation and thereby customer service. In spring 2002, £750,000 was used to purchase a switchboard with increased functionality for INEB.

Figures are not available for the last five years. For the period one January 2004 to 31 August 2004, IND received £72,067 from BT for the use of 0870 telephone numbers. IND now take no revenue. The use of 0870 numbers in IND is being reviewed. The UK Passport Service have no record of the revenue generated before the financial year 2002-03.

The following revenue was generated:
  £ 
2002-03 230,593.85 
2003-04 252,127.53 
2004-05 383,264.74 
1 April to 31 October 2005 238,605.96 


The Criminal Records Bureau operates as a public/private partnership with Capita Plc and operates six 0870 telephone numbers as contact numbers for the public. The Home Office receives no revenue for calls made to these numbers.

0870 Numbers in use within the Home Office
 
Home Office Public Enquiries(replaced with 020 7035 4848 on 15 September 2005) 0870 000 1585 
 
Immigration and Nationality Directorate 
Main 0870 606 7766 
Application Forms 0870 241 0645 
Complaints 0870 241 6523 
 
UK Passport Service 
Main 0870 521 0410 
Textphone 0870 240 8090 
High Street Partners 0870 243 4477 
Complaints 0870 241 1902 
Siemens Business Services (initial application check) 0870 125 1256 
 
Criminal Record Bureau 
Main 0870 909 0811 
Registration 0870 909 0822 
Disclosure applications 0870 909 0844 
Minicom 0870 909 0344 
Disputes 0870 909 0778 
Welsh language line 0870 909 0223 
 
HM Prison Service 
Main 0870 000 1397 
HMP Holloway 0870 000 0575 
TOGETHER 
Advice to practitioners on tackling anti-social behaviour 0870 220 2000 
 
Crime Reduction 
Advice on preventing car crime 0870 000 8518 
 
Security Industry Authority 0870 243 0100 
>>

idb wrote on Jan 31^st, 2006 at 12:48am:

So do they just let BT keep the money now? 
Is it meant to be a good thing that they now take no money while still using 0870 numbers? 

idb wrote on Jan 31^st, 2006 at 12:48am:

which leaves open the question as to whether the PPP receives any money. 

idb wrote on Jan 31^st, 2006 at 12:48am:

and he's given no info about income from any of the following numbers! 

Have just asked our local MP to have a look at http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1130983483/0

Others may also find it helpful to do likewise through http://www.writetothem.com/write  

idb wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2006 at 10:12pm:


Do MI5 or MI6 have the same rules about who they are prepared to employ.

Of course a lot of the people they might be most worried about in any case hold UK passports quite legitimately.