Non-Local Contact Numbers

The request was successful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Your various departments have 0345, 0845 or equivalent contact numbers, which are not normally included in callers' 'free-minutes' packages and can be expensive to call (up to 40p/minute). Plus it is normal to have a long (chargeable) wait on hold before speaking to someone. On what legal basis are you requiring callers to pay to access your services?

Even 0800 numbers cost mobile phone users to call.

Yours faithfully,

Ian Tyes

DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request, Department for Work and Pensions

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been received at the DWP Central FoI Team.

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References

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DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Sir,

Please find attached acknowledgment to your FoI request.

Kind regards
Central FoI Team

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Sam Barnett-Cormack left an annotation ()

To be fair, 03xx number should be included in any sort of inclusive call package; they're supposed to be equivalent to 01 or 02 numbers, just non-geographic.

Dear DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request,

As you are now late in responding to my FOI, I am requesting an internal review.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Tyes

DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request, Department for Work and Pensions

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been received at the DWP Central FoI Team.

We will forward your request to the relevant information owner within the
Department who will respond to you direct. 

Should you also have any further queries in connection with this request
do please contact us.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.

[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

DWP Adelphi Freedom-of-Information-Request, Department for Work and Pensions

Our Ref: 1931

Dear Mr Tyes,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request received on 08 May
2012. You asked:

"Your various departments have 0345, 0845 or equivalent contact numbers,
which are not normally included in callers' 'free-minutes' packages and
can be expensive to call (up to 40p/minute). Plus it is normal to have a
long (chargeable) wait on hold before speaking to someone. On what legal
basis are you requiring callers to pay to access your services?
Even 0800 numbers cost mobile phone users to call".

The Department does not hold information on the legality of customers
having to pay to use Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) services.
Customers do not have to use the telephone to access services, there are
alternatives, for example, face to face, postal and online. There is no
legal requirement for DWP to use 0800 and 0845 telephone numbers.

The DWP policy is that all calls should be free to our 0800 numbers to
claim:
* State Pension;
* Pension Credit;
* Jobseekers' Allowance;
* Employment Support Allowance; and
* Emergency payments or crisis loans.

It is free to call DWP 0800 numbers from all major landline providers.
DWP has secured agreements to ensure that it is free to call via nine of
the UK's largest mobile phone operators.

The Department currently uses 0845 telephone numbers where its customers
call for other reasons, and these are calls that typically take less
time to resolve. The charges that apply to these calls will be set by
the customer's telephone or mobile operator.

Using 0845 numbers, rather than geographical 01, 02 numbers, makes it
easier for DWP to manage telephony queues, and waiting time, and ensures
that calls are directed to the next available advisor with the
appropriate skills to answer customers' enquiries. We are aware of
longer wait time on certain service lines and we are working to reduce
this, including increasing our staffing levels.

If we provided geographic telephone numbers for each service line it
would create a disparity between customers, as those who lived in the
geographical dialling area concerned would pay a local rate and those
outside would pay a national rate. For example, if the geographic number
was 0117, those customers in Bristol would pay the cost of a local call
and the rest of the country would pay a national call rate. I appreciate
this would not be the case for customers contacting us by mobile phone,
but the majority of calls to DWP are still made from landlines.

We are aware of the financial difficulties that calling DWP could cause
some customers and so, where a customer asks us, or raises concerns over
the cost of a call, we will offer to call them back. The Department also
provides "Customer Access Phones" in a large number of its Jobcentre
Plus offices. Customers can use these phones to make benefit claims or
pursue job applications and do not have to pay when using these
facilities.

The Department also encourages its customers to use online facilities as
an alternative to calling its 0800 and 0845 services, where appropriate.

DWP literature advises customers of inbound communication options and
their associated charges.

DWP is working with Ofcom to review non geographic calls services, which
includes 0845 numbers and will review its position on numbering strategy
following the publication of this consultation.

If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the
reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act

If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal
review by e-mailing [DWP request email] or by
writing to DWP, Central FoI Team, Caxton House, Tothill Street, SW1H
9NA. Any review request should be submitted within two months of the
date of this letter.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner's Office for a decision.
Generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can
be contacted at: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF www.ico.gov.uk

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Sam Barnett-Cormack left an annotation ()

Just to note, I believe that 03xx numbers are treated equivalently to 01 and 02 numbers - they are geographically-priced non-geographic numbers. So if you have unlimited free calls to 01 and 02 numbers, that should actually include 03 numbers as well.

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Tyes

Please see attached response to your FoI request.

Kind regards

DWP Central FoI Team

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