House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 11 Nov 2008 (pt 0036)
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
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Student Loans Company: Telephone ServicesStephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many calls have been made to the Student Loan Company’s premium rate telephone line in each year since 2000; what the average duration of such calls was; what the revenue raised was; and if he will make a statement. [232404]
Mr. Lammy: The Student Loan Company has not operated any premium rate telephone lines since 2000.
House of Commons Hansard Debates for 24 Nov 2008 (pt 0003)
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T2. [237988] Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West) (Con): Why has the Secretary of State chosen this particularly difficult time to hit the least financially sophisticated and our most vulnerable with his swingeing reduction in the time period over which pension credit can be backdated?
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Ms Rosie Winterton): In actual fact, the changes regarding backdating fit into a general overall package that will mean that, from October this year, people will be able to find out their state pension entitlement, pension credit entitlement, council tax entitlement and housing benefit entitlement with just one telephone call.
24 Nov 2008 : Column 484
That is part of a package that has been generally welcomed by Age Concern and others. Overall, it will mean spending £250 million more in this area by 2050.
T5. [237991] Mary Creagh (Wakefield) (Lab): I wonder whether my right hon. Friend is aware of the website
www.benefitshelpline.com, which is run by a company known as StealthNET, operating out of Great Yarmouth, and offers UK citizens benefit services for the price of £1.50 a minute on a premium rate call? Now that he is aware of this so-called service, will he take steps to ensure that legitimate UK Government paid-for services are privileged over this sort of thing on health search engines and internet search sites?
The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Mr. Tony McNulty): My hon. Friend has already raised this particular issue with the Department. We need to make it clear that the Department makes advice on benefits and a wide range of other entitlements easily accessible to everyone through a variety of channels, including information leaflets, telephone helplines, websites and intermediaries. The loudest message needs to be that anyone requiring help on any aspect of the DWP's work should go through those channels, not through premium line channels.
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Nov 2008 (pt 0023)
Department of Health
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Health Services: Low IncomesMr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that the HC1 claim form can be downloaded from the internet. [236484]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has asked the prescription pricing division of the national health service business services authority to look at how the service for NHS low income scheme customers can be improved. Options being considered include on-line form completion and downloadable forms.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) change in cost to callers and (b) revenue generated for his Department as a result of changing the telephone number for ordering an HC1 form from an 0300 to an 0845 number. [236485]
Mr. Bradshaw: There has been no change in the cost to callers requesting an HC1 form as it has never been available from an 0300 number. HC1 forms are only available from the national health service forms order line on 0845 610 1112. No income is generated from incoming telephone calls to this number.
The prescription pricing division of the NHS business services authority is currently reviewing the relative costs and benefits of alternatives to the 0845 number currently in use.