House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 26 Nov 2009 (pt 0012)

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm091126/text/91126w0...

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to regulate telephone numbers with  (a) 0844, (b) 0845,  (c) 0870 and  (d) 0871 prefixes; and if he will make a statement. [300850]

Mr. Timms: The Government have made no recent assessments as the independent regulator Ofcom has responsibility for telephone numbers in the UK.

Ofcom, in 2006, strengthened its price publication rules, requiring operators to make it easier for consumers to find out about the cost of calling 08 numbers. Operators are now required to state maximum charges for calls to 08 numbers in promotional material and also to specify whether 08 calls are included in call packages.

Calls to 0845 numbers are often charged at a small premium from fixed networks. For instance, BT's maximum charge for an 0845 call is 3.867p per minute (including VAT) but most BT customers pay no more than 1.9p per minute. There are also signs that competition is exerting downward pressure on prices. Earlier this year, BT included 0845 in its calling plans on the same basis as 01, 02 and 03 numbers and at least one other operator has since followed BT's lead.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 15 Dec 2009 (pt 0019)

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, (b) 0845 and (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [305213]

Chris Bryant: None.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 14 Dec 2009 (pt 0037)

Departmental Telephone Lines

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, (b) 0845 and (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [305210]


Mr. Wills: The Department's telecoms services are provided through contracts with external service providers. The majority of these services are managed within individual business areas and detailed management information is not collated centrally.

Following de-regulation of the telecoms industry, many Telecommunications Companies offer call packages which have inclusive calls, though in most cases 0800/0845 number are not covered. This means that charges paid by the caller to prefix 08 numbers are set by each phone company individually, with charges varying accordingly, especially when the call originates from a UK mobile or non-UK number.

From the records held centrally, the Department operates 52 0845 numbers and 25 0800 telephone numbers to provide a range of services. There is no record of any 0870 numbers being used for public access to services.

Some prefix 08 numbers could also be considered to be sponsored by the Department, as it pays for some of the cost to the caller. However, the amount would differ depending on the relevant tariffs in a caller's specific call plan.

In 2008-09, call volumes to 18 0845 numbers used by Her Majesty's Courts Service Bulk Payment Centre totalled 789,000.

Details of call volumes to other individual numbers, and any additional alternative exchange numbers that may be in use, is not collated centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

As part of providing a cost-effective service to its users, the Department considers ways to make service users aware of the possibility that cheaper call options could be available. For instance, Her Majesty's Courts Service Bulk Payment Centre publish alternative exchange numbers for 18 0845 numbers on their web pages. This allows customers to choose which number to call, depending on their call plan. Charges vary, especially when the call originates from a UK mobile or non-UK number.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 14 Dec 2009 (pt 0026)

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, (b) 0845 and (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [305205]

Phil Hope: The Department's Communications Directorate currently maintains no '0870' phone numbers but runs or promotes four '0845' phone numbers and 188 '0800' phone numbers.

Information on any other telephone services that may be run on behalf of the Department is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Records on the number of calls to individual numbers over the period requested are not available. Many of the numbers are received by the same campaign call centre and to collate records for individual phone numbers would incur disproportionate costs.

There are no alternative numbers available.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 08 Dec 2009 (pt 0003)

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, (b) 0845 and (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [305219]


Mr. Simon: My Department operates one of these, an 0800 number, and 1,422 calls were made to that number in last 12 months. No alternative number charged at the BT local rate is available as it is not necessary.

idb wrote on Dec 17^th, 2009 at 12:22am:


Sigh .... 

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 05 Jan 2010 (pt 0016)

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100105/text/100105w...

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0870, (b) 0845 and (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [305211]

Dan Norris: DEFRA operates one comprehensive helpline, the DEFRA Helpline, which has a prefix of 0845. DEFRA receives no income from this helpline.

The DEFRA Helpline has received 77,385 calls during the period 1 November 2008 to 30 November 2009.

Some callers may attract the BT local rate. Charges vary depending on callers' service providers, where and when they are calling from, the package the caller may be subscribed to and whether they are using a mobile.

The Cabinet Office, through the Contact Council, is currently developing a numbering strategy. This will cover a range of issues related to public sector numbering, including providing greater transparency and value for money for service users. In the meantime, the Council issued a "Clarification Statement on Telephone Number Ranges".

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House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 05 Jan 2010 (pt 0045)

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100105/text/100105w...

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many calls an interpreter was provided on (a) the tax credits public helpline, (b) the tax credits intermediaries helpline, (c) the child benefit public helpline and (d) all other HM Revenue and Customs helplines in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09. [308104]

Mr. Timms: The breakdown requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not capture the use of interpretation services by helpline. In 2007-08 HMRC used interpretation services across its helpline services in a total of 420,000 occasions; in 2008-09 this figure was 839,000.

John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has responded to the Social Security Advisory Committee's Occasional Paper Number 7 recommendation (a) call-backs should be offered by DWP and HMRC contact centre staff when a customer is calling from a mobile phone, (b) HMRC helpline numbers should be transferred from 0845 to 0800 numbers and (c) the information about the cost of calling HMRC should be improved significantly; and if he will make a statement. [308115]

Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) contact centres will begin an in depth review of its numbering strategy in the first half of this year, and will respond to the Social Security Advisory Committee's occasional paper no. 7 as part of this review.

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House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 05 Jan 2010 (pt 0045)

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100105/text/100105w...

John Battle:  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 11 June 2009,  Official Report, column 983W, on welfare tax credits: telephone services, what the evidential basis is that some customers will pay more, others will pay less and for others there will be no change in relation to a charge from 0845 numbers to 0300. [308133]

5 Jan 2010 : Column 175W

Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on individual customers call charges as calls are charged to the customer based on the tariff arrangements they have with their service provider, the device they use for the call and the location from which they call.

However, reviews carried out of telephone service provider's tariff websites and Ofcom's own guide to telephone charges "Number Crunching" available at www.ofcom.org.uk/files/2009/08/numbering.pdf. indicate that some customers will pay more, others will pay less and for others there will be no change in relation to a change from 0845 numbers to 0300.

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Link corrected from that published in Hansard.

The Treasury's evidence is merely to look at different telephone providers' charges for 0845 and geographical calls. It uses Ofcom's document as propaganda, much as NEG uses BT's atypical 0844 charges to paint the picture that they are no more than geographical calls.