HIGHER RATE TELEPHONE NUMBERS USED BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

That this House welcomes the guidance from the Cabinet Office published in December 2013, on higher rate telephone lines to government departments stating that it is inappropriate for callers to pay substantial charges for accessing core public services; commends the government departments who no longer use higher rate telephone numbers; notes the Department for Work and Pensions as the least compliant with the guidance as it operates more higher rate lines than the other government departments combined and is in contact with some of the most vulnerable in society; calls on the Government and the Cabinet Office to set a deadline of 31 December 2014 for the phasing out of higher rate telephone numbers in all government departments; and further calls on the Government to ensure that arm's-length bodies and private contractors who deliver public services adhere to the same guidance as central Government.