House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 06 Jun 2007 (pt 0016)

Departments: Telephone Services
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone helplines are sponsored by her Department with the prefix (a) 0870 and (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case. [138484]


6 Jun 2007 : Column 567W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department's main public facing telephone inquiry service, the Customer Service Centre, has a geographic number (020 7210 4850). The Department also uses a Government wide switchboard service (020 27210 3000). There are individual switchboard services for the Department's main buildings and these have geographic telephone numbers.

The Department's Executive Agencies, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Service (MHRA) and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) also have geographic numbers.

The Department has a Healthy Start (formerly known as the Welfare Foods Helpline), a service operated under contract to provide assistance to nurseries and individuals with inquiries about welfare foods e.g. milk tokens. The numbers for members of the public are 0845 6076833/6076823. The number for commercial providers are 08707 203063/201688. These will be reviewed as part of the contract review in 2008.

NHS Direct uses a 0845 number 0845 4647. There is no geographic alternative.

The Department grant funds a wide range of voluntary and charitable organisations to provide services relating to health and healthy living. Some of these organisations include telephone helplines as part of their services. It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to identify individual projects with telephones services and whether geographic telephone numbers are used.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 13 Jun 2007 (pt 0029)

Departments: Telephone Services
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department with the prefix (a) 0870 and (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case. [138487]

Mr. Dhanda: The information as requested is not readily available centrally within the Department for Education and Skills (DFES). To respond fully would involve an extensive information collection exercise which would exceed the recommended disproportionate cost threshold. However, to be helpful, using a variety of information and data sources relating solely to DFES headquarters, the following information can be provided.

DFES currently sponsor seven telephone numbers with the prefix (a) 0870, and ten telephone numbers with the prefix (b) 0845. Alternative geographic telephone numbers are available in each case.

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 11 July 2007 (pt 0007)

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the change to the use of the 0845 number for Jobcentre Plus on (a) Jobcentre Plus local offices and (b) their customers. [146686]

Mrs. McGuire: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 11 July 2007:

The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question asking what assessment he has made of the likely effect that the change to the use of the 0845 number for Jobcentre Plus will have on Jobcentre Plus local offices and their customers.

Centralisation of benefit processing represents part of the modernisation of Jobcentre Plus services. It allows us to build centres of expertise which will enable us to improve standards of customer service, develop greater expertise in meeting customers' needs and move work around the country to meet changes in local demand so reducing delays.

This way of working reduces benefit enquiry footfall in our local Jobcentre Plus offices, which means they can then concentrate their efforts in helping customers back to work.

11 July 2007 : Column 1502W—continued

Many of our customers find it easier to access our services now there is a choice of using the telephone, the internet or face to face. Centralising our benefit claims systems means customers have the option to make benefit enquiries from the privacy of their own homes and their calls will be answered by a pool of benefits experts. Creating a Contact Centre network means that we are better able to cope with peaks in demand.

We recognise that the telephone is not suitable for all customers and for this reason we continue to offer alternative means to contact us and to make benefit claims.

I hope this is helpful.

derrick wrote on Aug 18^th, 2007 at 11:13am:


More like congestion of their contractual terms with their suppliers if their supplier is deprived of their revenue share.

Dave wrote on Aug 18^th, 2007 at 12:33pm:
I'll bet you £1million  

To help me get this £1million to pay Dave, please feel free to ring me on a national rate 0871 number from anywhere the UK.  I, naturally, don't make a profit from this - instead I receive a micro-payment (according to Ofcom) and according to ICSTIS this is only used primarily to pay for network features!  

 

Order Book Part 1

119
N  Peter Bottomley (Worthing West):To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list by primary care trust the medical GP practices which use 0844 revenue-shaving telephone numbers; and what guidance he has issued on the use of such numbers. 
(155523)

"low-cost alternatives"
"local rate"

aargh!