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Written question asked by Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 19 March 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 24 March 2025. It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Friday, 28 March 2025 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Telecommunications: Consumers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans his Department has to enable Ofcom to regulate poor customer service.

Answer

Ofcom’s principal duty, established by the Communications Act 2003, is to further the interests of citizens and consumers, and Ofcom sets its regulatory framework to promote good outcomes for consumers, in line with this duty.

For telecoms, Ofcom has a duty to set General Conditions with which communications providers must comply. These are published on Ofcom’s website and include conditions on complaints handling and dispute resolution. In addition to this, for example, Ofcom has introduced requirements to send end-of-contract notifications and published guidance to help providers support vulnerable consumers. Ofcom also publishes the Comparing Customer Service (CCS) report to show how customer service levels compare across the telecoms industry.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
39654
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Consumers Ofcom Standards Regulation Telecommunications
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk