| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 837
sites; and what software relevant to mobile cellnet telephones has been lost, stolen or mislaid. [40143]Mr. Ian Taylor: This information is not held by my Department. These are matters for the enforcement authorities, the
telecommunications operators and the manufacturers concerned.
British Geological Survey (Petroleum Division)
Mr. Salmond: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people are employed by the British Geological Survey's petroleum division in Scotland on (a) a full-time and (b) a part-time basis. [39667]
Mr. Ian Taylor: Petroleum activities within BGS are carried out within the survey's petroleum geology, geophysics, and offshore surveys division. In Scotland, 51 full-time personnel who are Edinburgh-based undertake work that relates directly and indirectly to petroleum.
Technology Foresight Programme
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much additional money has been made available from his Department's budget for projects under the technology foresight programme. [38869]
Mr. Ian Taylor: In announcements made earlier this year, additional funds were made availble to underpin foresight dissemination and implementation as follows:
£3 millons to take forward foresight through the LINK mechanism; A £40 millions foresight challenge fund spread over the next three years, all of which would be matched by industry;
£70 millions, spread over the next four years, for the rest of DTI to support innovation and foresight, part of which would be matched by industry.
Including matching sums from industry this package is worth approximately £170 million.
Export Licence Applications
Mr. Byers: To ask the President of the Board of Trade who ordered the destruction of the records of export licence applications for goods on the military list made during the years (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983, and (e) 1984. [39285]
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 25 October 1995]: The public records, Board of Trade eighth schedule, submitted to both Houses of Parliament in June 1950, gave notice in the disposal schedule for all export licence application papers to be automatically destroyed after six years. The Public Records Act 1958 removed the need to comply with this schedule, but the then Board of Trade continued to follow the practice of destruction after six years. This continued until July 1991 when it was decided not to destroy any existing application papers. That practice has continued to date.
Temazepam
Mr. McMaster: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to impose upper limits on the (a) manufacture, (b) import and (c) export of the drug Temazepam based upon the current and projected levels of required legitimate use within the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [39191]
Column 838
Mr. Maclen: I have been asked to reply.
None. Additional controls to prevent diversion from the legitimate trade in Temazepam, including import and export licences, will shortly be introduced.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Organophosphate Products
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department proposes setting up training programmes for those using organophosphate products for the control of cattle warbles, and if he will make a statement. [38690]
Mrs. Browning: My Department has no plans for setting up such a course. The National Proficiency Test Council already offers a certificate of competence in the safe use and handling of veterinary medicines. This covers the safe use and proper disposal of all veterinary medicines. A copy of a leaflet about the certificate is being placed in the Library of the House.
Common Agricultural Policy Budget
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the draft CAP budget expenditure published by the EU for 1996; what is the legal limit of such expenditure; and what was the actual expenditure in each of the past 10 years. [37631]
Mr. Baldry [pursuant to his reply, 20 October 1995, Official Report, c.408]: The 1996 draft budget for common agricultural policexpenditure has been set at the level of the guideline--the legally binding ceiling on CAP expenditure--of 40,828 million ecu or £34,069 million. Initial indicators are that 1995 expenditure will be about 35,000 mecu--about £28,000 million--some 3,000 mecu--£2,418 million-- below the guideline. Expenditure in 1994 was 32,970 mecu--£25, 264 million--some 3,495 mecu--£2,678 million--below the guideline. Details of expenditure on the common agricultural policys in previous years are contained in the annual financial reports on the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund, guarantee section, copies of which have been deposited in the Library of the House. The latest available report relates to 1993.
Cash Limits
Mrs. Currie: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes are proposed in his Department's cash limits for 1995 96. [40630]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class III, vote 4 (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: departmental research, advisory services and administration, executive agencies and certain other services) will be increased by £8,338,000 from £322,070,000 to £330,408,000. The vote 4 supplementary estimate will give effect to the end year flexibility entitlement of £6,778,000 for running costs and £60,000 for capital announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 13 July 1995, Official Report , columns 776 82 . The supplementary estimate also reflects a £3,000,000
Column 839
reduction in appropriations in aid and a £1,500,000 reduction in running costs for the Meat Hygiene Service due to transitional relief given to fresh meat plants.The Intervention Board executive agency is eligible for an increase of £2,791,000 in respect of end year flexibility arrangements for running costs expenditure. At this stage it is proposed to take up £1,266,000 of this entitlement and increase the agency's running costs limit from £32,400,000 to £33,666,000.
Agriculture Council
Mrs. Currie: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on 24 and 25 October; and if he will make a
statement. [40632]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: The Council adopted by qualified majority an amended Commission proposal enabling member states to pay national aids, under defined conditions, to farmers who had experienced considerable income losses as a result of significant currency depreciation in other member states. The original proposal was opposed by the United Kingdom, Italy and Sweden--comprising 24 votes--which meant it could not be adopted if a member state invoked the Council decision reflecting the agreement reached at Ioannina in Greece on 27 March 1994. I invoked this decision, thereby requiring the Council to seek a basis for agreement involving at least 65 votes, that is with fewer than 23 votes opposing or abstaining. As a consequence of this, the proposal was amended, in particular to require aid payments to be reduced or cancelled if currency depreciations were subsequently reversed. Although this was a significant and welcome improvement, it went less far than I would have liked. I therefore abstained on the vote. Italy voted against and Sweden in favour.
The Council also discussed reform of the rice regime and held a first discussion of the Commission's proposal to reform the fruit and vegetables regime. On the latter, I welcomed the proposed steps towards reducing the role of intervention and urged the Council to commit itself to eventual abolition of intervention in this sector. I stressed the importance of focusing support on a wider range of organisations than the narrowly defined traditional producer co-operatives proposed by the Commission.
Under other business, I expressed concern about the Commission's decision to reduce malt exports refunds and effectively shorten the period for which export certificates were valid. Several other Ministers supported. The Commissioner undertook to reflect and if necessary adjust the measures in the light of experience. I also pressed the Commission to retain provision for guaranteed set-aside, so that the important environmental benefits of these arrangements could be preserved. I argued that any proposal setting limits of nitrate in lettuce must reflect the scientific advice. I drew attention to the lack of any health risk to UK consumers, the need to promote consumption of vegetables and the devastating effect which unduly restrictive rules would have on the UK glasshouse industry. I therefore argued that there was no justification for the setting of such limits.
Column 840
HOME DEPARTMENT
Cash Limits
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes to the 1995 96 cash limits within his responsibilities. [40680]
Mr. Howard: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate, the cash limit for class VIII, vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, probation and other services, England and Wales) will be increased by £3,419,000 from £4,436,657,000 to £4, 440,076,000. The increase is the net effect of: a transfer £38, 000-- running costs--from the Department of Environment in respect of section 11 grant administration; a transfer of £250,000 from the Welsh Office in respect of expenditure related to police force reorganisation in the Rhymney valley; a reduction of £1,160,000 in the local authority non- voted HO/LACAP cash limit from £116,333,000 to £115,265,000 for the development of the national probation service information systems strategy and police information technology; a transfer from offender programmes of £275,000 to the Department for Educationa and Employment and Welsh Office in respect of additional cost of places for Home Office sponsored students; a transfer from equal opportunities and general of £4,000--running costs--to the Department of Environment in respect of transfer of responsibility for countryside byelaws; the take-up of £250,000 from the reserve--running costs--for special constables; and the take up of £2, 000,000 from the reserve for temporary protection for war victims from former Yugoslavia. There is also a diminution of police and probation capital grants by £1,740,000.
In consequence of these changes, the Home Office gross running cost limit will increased by £284,000 from £1,740,331,000 to £1,740,615, 000.
The increase will be offset by savings, transfers or charges to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Amusement Machines
Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to present to the Deregulation Select Committee proposals under the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963 relating to amusement machines with cash prizes. [39976]
Mr. Kirkhope: We hope to present a draft order containing our proposals shortly.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next expects to meet the Lord Chief Justice; and what issues he will seek to discuss with him. [39756]
Mr. Maclean: My right hon. and learned Friend meets the Lord Chief Justice from time to time to discuss issues of mutual concern. The next such meeting has not yet been arranged.
Column 841
Dorset Police (Expenditure)
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been (a) the increase in Government funding for the police in Dorset and (b) the inflation rate since (i) 1979 and (ii) 1990; and if he will make a statement. [38971]
Mr. Maclean: Expenditure on the police in Dorset has increased since 1978 79 by 515 per cent. and since 1989 90 by 46 per cent. Estimated rates of inflation over the periods in question are: (i) 1978 79 to 1995 96: 200 per cent.
(ii) 1989 90 to 1995 96: 29 per cent.
Women's Refuges
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his policy on the provision of after-care services for women leaving refuges; which services are being provided with national coverage; and what funding has been made for after-care services for women leaving refuges in each of the last five years and the current financial year; [38464]
(2) how many women are taken care of by women's refuges; and what estimates he has made of the extent of unmet need. [38470]
Mr. Maclean: I understand from my right hon. Friends at the Departments of Health and of the Environment that the information requested is not currently available. Consideration is, however, being given by the official and ministerial groups on domestic violence to improving the collection of data on the range of services and facilities available to those suffering from the consequences of domestic violence.
Departmental Work
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of his Department since 1990. [38075]
Mr. Howard: A wide range of actions have been taken:
to strengthen the police service in England and Wales;
to tackle crime through legislation, crime prevention, action on juvenile crime, and improving the efficiency of the probation service;
to enable the Prison Service to meet the demands on it; to improve immigration control;
to develop co-operation with other European Union members. The police service in England and Wales has undergone a major programme of reform since 1990. The main vehicle for the reforms is the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994. Its aim is to bring up to date the management, organisation and funding of the police service. The Act also introduced reforms to promote effective police performance and increase local accountability. It set up new free-standing police authorities which now include independent members. I have given up detailed controls over police staffing numbers and capital expenditure, and within cash limits it is now for police authorities and chief constables to decide how to spend their money. I set key objectives for policing in England and Wales to focus on major public concerns. Police authorities are required to consult the local community about the priorities for policing in their
Column 842
area, and to report back each year on how their force has performed. Police rank structure and remuneration have been revised and adapted to support the new structures.A Metropolitan police committee consisting of a chairman and 11 members was established this year to advise and support me in my role as police authority for the Metropolitan police.
The number of police officers in England and Wales increased to 127,222 in March 1995, and the service is expected to grow by a further 500 officers this year. The number of officers of constable rank in the service has increased by 1,825 since 1990. Additional funding will be provided to enable chief constables to recruit an additional 5,000 officers over the next three years. Action has been taken to reduce administrative burdens on the police to free police time for core duties, and since 1990 some 3,500 officers have been released for operational duties through civilianisation.
A new police national computer has been installed to deal with increasing numbers of transactions. It was enhanced in May this year by the launch of Phoenix, the criminal justice record service, giving the police instant computer access to the national collection of criminal records. The police national network, a state of the art telecommunications highway of the police service, has been set up and the first ever national strategy for police information systems adopted.
The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provided for the setting up of a computerised database of DNA samples taken from persons charged or reported for a recordable offence. The database went live in April 1995.
The Criminal Justice Acts 1991 and 1993 strengthened the range and effectiveness of community penalties and provided a new statutory framework for sentencing. Courts are able to take into account previous convictions when passing sentence, and to impose longer sentences where necessary to protect the public from dangerous offenders. Powers have been introduced to enable unduly lenient sentences to be reviewed and increased. Maximum penalties have been increased for many offences including causing death by dangerous or drink driving, possession or distribution of prohibited weapons and making obscene or malicious telephone calls. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 contained a wide range of measures designed to tackle crime and protect the public, including restrictions on bail and allowing the courts to draw inferences from the silence of defendants in certain circumstances. Comprehensive national standards for the supervision of offenders in the community by probation and social services in England and Wales were introduced in 1992 and revised in 1995. A Green Paper "Strengthening Punishment in the Community" was published in March 1995 proposing that sentencers should have greater choice and flexibility in community sentencing, through the creation of a single, integrated community sentence. Separate programmes of action have also been taken to develop, implement and co-ordinate policies for tackling drugs misuse and domestic violence.
Legislation has also been passed to enable the United Kingdom to participate more effectively in international co-operation against crime; to combat money laundering and confiscate the proceeds of crime; to ratify the United
Column 843
Nations convention against the illicit traffic in drugs; to improve extradition arrangements within the European Union and between our Council of Europe partners.Legislation has been passed to strengthen the law on obscenity, child pornography and video classification and to provide measures for dealing more quickly and effectively with squatters; to deal with so called "joyriders"; to improve the efficiency of the magistrates courts; to strengthen the powers of the Courts of Appeal in England and in Wales; to establish a Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate and refer possible miscarriages of justice to the courts; and to give courts jurisdiction over offences of murder, manslaughter or culpable homicide committed as violations of the laws and customs of war in Germany or German -occupied territory, during the second world war, by those who at the time of their offences were not British, but who subsequently became citizens or residents in the United Kingdom. A bill has also been introduced to pave the way for a new scheme for compensating the blameless victims of crimes of violence.
There have been important developments in crime prevention. In 1993, the Home Office issued a practical guide to crime prevention for local partnerships which helps local communities to develop their own strategies for tackling crime. In September 1994, the Government launched the partners against crime campaign to increase the contribution of individuals in the fight against crime through membership of neighbourhood watch and the special constabulary. In September 1995, I announced a new grant fund for the special constabulary to help forces to increase their numbers of special constables.
The Government have encouraged the greater use of closed circuit television in the prevention and detection of crime. In 1994 95, £5 million in Government money levered in a further £13.8 million to fund over 100 new CCTV schemes across the country. In October 1995, the Government announced further financial support for CCTV schemes to provide 10,000 new cameras over three years.
In October 1995, I announced the establishment of a national crime prevention agency to bring together the key bodies in the promotion of crime prevention.
Steps have been taken to combat juvenile crime. Legislation has been passed to give the courts wider powers to deal with serious and persistent juvenile offenders, including provision for a new secure training order which will be available for 12 to 14-year-olds who persistently offend. Action is in hand to establish five secure training centres in which those sentenced to the order will serve the first half of their sentence. We have also acted to stop the inappropriate use of cautioning. In October 1995, I announced plans to set up a ministerial group on juveniles to consider ways of strengthening measures to prevent those children who are most at risk of offending from becoming involved in crime.
An efficiency scrutiny of probation service in-house training began in 1991 has been completed and implemented, and new arrangements for qualifying training and the recruitment of probation officers were announced this year. A major efficiency programme, backed by the introduction in 1994 of key performance indicators and the establishment of a national information
Column 844
system strategy, is on-going and will produce significant cash savings while maintaining a high quality of service delivery. In addition, action has been taken to secure better co- operation among all criminal justice agencies and the legal professions. Acting on the recommendations of the Woolf report into the prison disturbances in 1990, the Criminal Justice Consultative Council was established in January 1992 and 24 local area criminal justice liaison committees some months later.In the Prison Service, the largest new prisons building programme this century has continued with 13 new prisons opening since 1990. Competition has been introduced as a stimulus to better performance in the Prison Service, with four prisons now being operated by the private sector. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 put industrial relations in the Prison Service on a new footing by clarifying the legal position of prison officers and governors under employment law, confirming that these groups of staff have the same employment rights as other crown servants, while also confirming that it is illegal for them to be induced to take industrial action. The Act also allows for associated changes to be made to pay determination arrangements for the staff affected.
Since the Prison Service became an executive agency on April 1993, it has reduced the rate of escapes by 76 per cent., ended the practice of holding three prisoners in cells designed for less than that number; provided 24- hour access to sanitation for 95 per cent. of prisoners; and increased the amount of purposeful activity being undertaken by prisoners. A new system of release on temporary licence which came into force on 25 April 1995 has reduced temporary release failures by over 75 per cent. compared with the same period last year. A programme of mandatory drug testing in prisons and a new national framework of incentives and earned privileges, linking incentives to prisoners' behaviour, have both been introduced during 1995.
There have been a number of important improvements to the immigration control. The Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 has enable the average decision time for the asylum applications to be halved; further proposals for dealing with undeserving applications will be announced shortly.
The extension of visa regimes to nationals of a number of countries, the development of Carriers' Liability Act procedures, the increase in forgery detection rates and the introduction of a computerised suspect index have all strengthened the control. Revised shift patterns and the introduction of service standards at ports of entry have enabled the Immigration Service to cope with significant increases in both casework and passenger arrivals which rose from 47 million in 1990 to 63 million in 1994. Since November 1993, some 240 additional places have been provided in purpose-built accommodation for immigration detainees and a further 125 places will shortly be made available at a new centre at Gatwick.
Since 1990, close co-operation has continued with our partners in the European Union in tackling a range of common problems in the area of justice and home affairs. Before 1992, such work took place in a number of working groups such as those on immigration, the Trevi groups on police co- operation, the European committee to
Column 845
combat drugs and the judicial co-operation working group. This work resulted in a significant body of agreements and, particularly in the areas of police and customs work, the development of highly effective procedures for operational co-operation by member states. The third pillar of the treaty on European Union, which came into force in November 1992, brought this work within a unified framework and has enabled the tradition of intergovernmental co-operation on justice and home affairs issues to continue successfully. Four major conventions have been signed, covering extradition arrangements, fraud against the Community budget, Europol and the customs information system, together with a large number of important instruments particularly in immigration and asylum policy.Crime Statistics
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) violent crimes and (b) sexual assaults took place against (i) men, (ii) women and (iii) in total for (1) 1993 and (2) 1994 at major railway stations and on London Underground. [37526]
Mr. Maclean: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 23 October, Official Report , column 467.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he discussed the new boundaries for Northern Ireland constituencies with the
Column 846
Southern Irish Foreign Minister, Mr. Dick Spring, on 17 October. [38576]Irish and Ulster Scots Languages
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people answered the Irish language question in the affirmative at the last census; if he will arrange that in the next census the questions on the Northern Ireland census form relating to speaking and understanding the Irish language are printed in Irish and that it will require a positive written answer in the Irish language for an adult individual or family to be counted as Irish speaking; and if he will consider a similar question for speakers of the Ulster-Scots language. [38484]
Sir John Wheeler: The number of people who answered the Irish language question in the affirmative at the last census was 142,003. The number and form of questions to be included in the 2001 census has not yet been determined. Those finally decided on will be as a result of consultation, testing and review. The suggestions put forward by the hon. Gentleman will be considered as part of this process. A census order including the proposed questions will be laid before Parliament in 1999.
Staff Attitude Surveys (Civil Service)
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the staff attitude surveys carried out in the Northern Ireland civil service over the last five years, the particular topic investigated, which consultants were employed and at what cost in consultants fees and civil service expenditure. [38481]
Sir John Wheeler: The information requested is as follows:
Column 845
|Cost consultant fees |Civil service
Year |Organisation |Survey topic |Consultants |(ex VAT) £ |expenditure £
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991 |NICS Service-Wide |Current management practices and |KMPG Management |43,530 |12,000
|how they are perceived by staff |Consulting
1992 |Industrial |Internal areas of strengths and |PA Consulting |13,500 |10,300
|Development |weaknesses
|Board (IDB)
1992 |Social Security |Staff attitudes in relation to four|Design Partnership |13,900 |-
|Agency (SSA) |key business themes of SSA
1992 |DHSS |Gauging staff attitudes across a |Development |5,131 |-
|wide range of Personnel Issues |Partnership
1993 |DOE |Staff attitudes in to: |Research and |9,400 |5,500
|communication, performance |Evaluation Services
|management, career development, |and Queen's
|line management, stress, |University
|organisation
1994 |Industrial |Internal areas of strengths and |PA Consulting |9,600 |8,500
|Development Board |weaknesses
1994 |DHSS |Standards of service provided by |Price Waterhouse |7,469 |-
|Personnel management branch
1994 |NICS Service-Wide |Research into the organisational |KPMG Management |25,832 |-
|culture in the senior grades in the|Consulting
|NICS
1995 |Child Support |Organisation climate survey |Research and |6,000 |-
|Agency (CSA) |to gauge feelings of staff about |Evaluation Services
|structures and workings of CSA
1995 |Social Security |Research to identify the underlying|The Industrial |10,000 |-
|Agency (SSA) |causes of sick absence in the |Society (Survey not
|Agency |yet completed)
Chief Constable's Certificates
Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by district council area those apparently sectarian attacks necessitating the issue of Chief Constable's certificates, or requests for same, since 1 January 1990 made upon (a) Catholic Church property, (b) Protestant Church property, (c) state schools, (d) Catholic schools and (e) Orange halls. [38485]
Sir John Wheeler: The information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Nursing Homes
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people pay the cost of their nursing home care (a) in full and (b) in part; and how many have their costs entirely met through (i) income support and (ii) their local authority. [40186]
Mr. Moss: At 31 March 1995, health and social services boards, under their community care responsibilities, were meeting the care costs of 2,822 nursing home residents.
Information about the numbers of nursing home residents in receipt of the preserved rights rate of income support or who are self-financing is not readily available.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost of (a) doubling and (b) trebling the present £8,000 capital disregard for nursing home fees. [40190]
Mr. Moss: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him earlier today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the number of people who have had to sell their homes to fund the cost of their long-term stay in (a) residential and (b) nursing homes in each of the last five years. [40178]
Mr. Moss: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average length of time a person spends in full-time nursing care. [40182]
Mr. Moss: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Column 848
SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Support Agency
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what telephone call rates for people living within the area served by Kingston Communications are charged when using the Child Support Agency's advice telephone service; what monitoring of these rates is conducted by his Department; and in what circumstances his Department will pay compensation for telephone users that have been charged at a higher rate than for local telephone call service. [38729]
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne dated 27 October 1995: I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security on the Child Support Agency's telephone advice service.
The Agency offers several enquiry and advice lines, and provides customers with a reduced--rate-calls service to its six Centres. All these services are provided by means of the British
Telecommunications "Link-Line" facility. The numbers, all prefixed 0345, are charged at the BT local call rate. This applies to all calls no matter who the subscriber is billed by. This means that an 0345 call made in Hull is charged at the same rate as a call from anywhere else within the UK.
I understand from Kingston Telecommunications that their local call charge is different to BT's. It may be this disparity that is causing the misunderstanding about the charges made for calls to the Agency from Hull. Although an 0345 call made in Hull costs more than a local call within the Kingston Telecommunications network, it is still cheaper than a direct dialled long distance call from Hull to any of the Agency's Centres.
The Agency in conjunction with the Departmental Information Technology Authority constantly monitor the rates and tariffs of our telecommunications suppliers so that the maximum discounts can be achieved for our customers.
As with all matters, the Agency will consider a compensation payment where a clear and unambiguous error by the Agency has resulted in a financial loss to a client. Each such case is decided on its own merits.
| Next Section
| Home Page |