Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor John Battle (Labour), on Tuesday, 2 June 2009, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 83 members in total.

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FINANCIAL COST OF CONTACTING GOVERNMENT

That this House notes with concern the high cost of calls to Government helplines from mobile telephones; recognises that many people only have access to a mobile telephone and do not have a landline and therefore have no choice but to pay these high call costs; further notes the recent Citizens Advice Bureau report, Hung Up, which provided evidence from 65 citizens advice bureaux that many vulnerable and destitute people are unable to claim a crisis loan because of the expense of calling the Government freephone claim line on a mobile telephone; recognises that it is possible to make freephone numbers free to call from a mobile telephone, for example by registering the numbers with the Telephone Helplines Association; and calls on the Government urgently to ensure that its benefit claim lines, and in particular its crisis loans claim line, are made free to call from a mobile telephone.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

1576 

Session

2008-09

Other sponsors

Bob Spink

Lindsay Hoyle

Lynne Jones

David Drew

Mark Durkan

Subjects

Administration Social security benefits Telecommunications

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk