That this House condemns the significant increase in cases of internet fraud whereby some offshore companies are making expensive telephone connections, known as pop-ups, between unsuspecting users in the UK and their companies, resulting in more than 2,000 calls per day being made by UK customers to the premium rate regulator, the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) to complain of additional and unsolicited and unwanted telephone bills; and calls upon HM Government to offer assistance to ICSTIS in stamping out this unacceptable practice.

That this House condemns the significant increase in cases of internet fraud whereby some offshore companies are making expensive telephone connections, known as pop-ups, between unsuspecting users in the UK and their companies, resulting in more than 2,000 calls per day being made by UK customers to the premium rate...

That this House welcomes Ofcom's decision to use its interim measure powers under the Competition Act to investigate BT's plans to increase line rental charges for all United Kingdom telecoms customers but offset the increase for BT customers by offering discounted call rates; believes that the pricing announcement undermines the economics of competitive service provision as customers of other telecoms providers will be charged higher BT rental charges in the absence of a viable wholesale line rental product but will not benefit from the right to discounted calls; further believes that, as a result, BT should immediately stop any marketing or other activity in relation to these planned changes until Ofcom has completed its investigation; and calls on the Government to make a statement which confirms their commitment to competition and to act decisively in this area.

That this House welcomes Ofcom's decision to use its interim measure powers under the Competition Act to investigate BT's plans to increase line rental charges for all United Kingdom telecoms customers but offset the increase for BT customers by offering discounted call rates; believes that the pricing announcement undermines the...

That this House welcomes the decision of British Gas to remove standing charges from customers accounts and commends Northern Ireland Electricity for making a partial step in this direction; acknowledges that the telephone bills of pensioners and other limited users of telephone services include a disproportionate cost in respect of standing charge when compared with the cost of telephone calls made; and calls upon British Telecom and other providers of telephone services to urgently review their current billing practices and subsequently completely remove the standing charge element from accounts in order that charges for telephone use are solely in respect of calls made.

That this House welcomes the decision of British Gas to remove standing charges from customers accounts and commends Northern Ireland Electricity for making a partial step in this direction; acknowledges that the telephone bills of pensioners and other limited users of telephone services include a disproportionate cost in respect of...

That this House supports the introduction of flat-rate pricing for access to the Internet; recognises that this offers users a fixed price per month including both the telephone and Internet service provider's costs; and notes that the introduction of flat-rate pricing will increase consumer choice and provide users, especially parents, with certainty about the total costs of their Internet usage, rather than the current unsatisfactory surprise telephone bill each quarter, thus opening up the Internet and discouraging social exclusion, while promoting use of the Internet for education, e-commerce and leisure.

That this House supports the introduction of flat-rate pricing for access to the Internet; recognises that this offers users a fixed price per month including both the telephone and Internet service provider's costs; and notes that the introduction of flat-rate pricing will increase consumer choice and provide users, especially parents,...

That this House is appalled at the findings of Home Office Research Paper 92 which reveals that one in 10 women receive obscene telephone calls every year and that, if other types of nuisance calls are included, such as threatening and offensive calls and heavy breathing, women receive more than 30 million nuisance calls a year; congratulates the Daily Express on their campaign highlighting this problem; understands that recent measures to identify callers have had limited effect because callers can withhold or put a block on their telephone numbers; notes the conclusion of the Home Office Report that 'the probability is that the technological means for controlling the problem will be brought to bear'; and calls upon the Home Secretary to take urgent steps, in consultation with the police and BT, to see that it is.

That this House is appalled at the findings of Home Office Research Paper 92 which reveals that one in 10 women receive obscene telephone calls every year and that, if other types of nuisance calls are included, such as threatening and offensive calls and heavy breathing, women receive more than...

That this House is appalled at the findings of Home Office Research Paper 92 which reveal that one in 10 women received obscene phone calls every year and that, if other types of nuisance calls are included, such as threatening and offensive calls and heavy breathing, women receive more than 30 million nuisance calls a year; understands that recent measures to identify callers have had limited effect because callers can withhold or put a block on their telephone numbers; notes the conclusion of the Home Office Report that 'the probability is that the technological means for controlling the problem will be brought to bear'; and calls upon the Home Secretary to take urgent steps, in consultation with the police and BT, to see that it is.

That this House is appalled at the findings of Home Office Research Paper 92 which reveal that one in 10 women received obscene phone calls every year and that, if other types of nuisance calls are included, such as threatening and offensive calls and heavy breathing, women receive more than...

That this House is concerned to learn that the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications may be considering the reduction of end to end transmission and reception sound levels and that an approach has apparently been made to the British Standards Institute suggesting there should be a new standard which would not require telephone manufacturers to adapt telephones for the United Kingdom; believes that the adoption of such a new standard would open the United Kingdom market to foreign imports and would seriously affect the three million users of hearing aids, for whom any reduction in loudness ratings would be intolerable, and that a further three million hard of hearing people who are able to manage without a hearing aid now may not be able to use the telephone if a lower standard is applied; and calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to abandon this misguided policy.

That this House is concerned to learn that the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications may be considering the reduction of end to end transmission and reception sound levels and that an approach has apparently been made to the British Standards Institute suggesting there should be a new standard which would...

That this House views with great concern standing charges being imposed on pensioners by British Gas, Electricity and Telecom, meaning an extra burden of ??190 per year; recognises that many pensioners are already living below the poverty line; finds these scandalous charges a drain on their already stretched resources; therefore calls for the immediate abolition of all standing charges; and calls for the President of the Board of Trade to call a meeting with all companies concerned with a view to alleviating this unnecessary hardship.

That this House views with great concern standing charges being imposed on pensioners by British Gas, Electricity and Telecom, meaning an extra burden of ??190 per year; recognises that many pensioners are already living below the poverty line; finds these scandalous charges a drain on their already stretched resources; therefore...

That this House welcomes the announcement by British Telecom that they are to use new technology to trace obscene telephone callers; believes that the most effective deterrent will be successful prosecution of offenders; and welcomes the increase in the penalty for this offence from ??400 to ??1,000.

That this House welcomes the announcement by British Telecom that they are to use new technology to trace obscene telephone callers; believes that the most effective deterrent will be successful prosecution of offenders; and welcomes the increase in the penalty for this offence from ??400 to ??1,000.

That this House notes that the giant Ford Motor Company has allegedly fallen victim to telephone chatline abuse; considers this to be a damning indictment of British Telecom's marketing policy; believes it to show that no business is safe from being exploited by the near monopoly which British Telecom represents; and calls upon the regulatory bodies to act, forthwith, in the interests of businesses and domestic subscribers alike.

That this House notes that the giant Ford Motor Company has allegedly fallen victim to telephone chatline abuse; considers this to be a damning indictment of British Telecom's marketing policy; believes it to show that no business is safe from being exploited by the near monopoly which British Telecom represents;...

That this House is aware of the continuing unsolicited provision of premium rate telephone services to business telephones; believes this is costing tens of millions of pounds each year due to calls being stolen; regrets that British Telecom has reneged on a promise to advise digital exchange customers of how to secure limited protection against abuse; asserts that the aggressive marketing of these services is not matched by a desire to discourage third party use of them; and therefore calls upon the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to intervene in order to remove this serious burden on businesses large and small.

That this House is aware of the continuing unsolicited provision of premium rate telephone services to business telephones; believes this is costing tens of millions of pounds each year due to calls being stolen; regrets that British Telecom has reneged on a promise to advise digital exchange customers of how...

That while this House welcomes any help for our servicemen and women in the Gulf, it believes that against a background of war costs of ??1.25 billion plus ??200 million in equipment loss and munitions used, the provision of up to ??400,000 per month for service personnel to telephone home is less than generous; notes that on the basis of the Defence Secretary's figures it would only cost an additional ??400,000 a month to allow them 5 free three-minute calls monthly; believes that the effect on morale would more than justify this cost and is sure that no tax payers would object to such a gesture to men and women, many of whom may lay down their lives to achieve the objectives set by the United Nations.

That while this House welcomes any help for our servicemen and women in the Gulf, it believes that against a background of war costs of ??1.25 billion plus ??200 million in equipment loss and munitions used, the provision of up to ??400,000 per month for service personnel to telephone home...

That this House warmly welcomes the newly announced controls of chatline and associated services by British Telecom; sees this as a major victory for the honourable Member for Worsley who has campaigned tirelessly since 1986 for such services to be controlled; notes, however, that there is some distance to go before all British Telecom's customers are given control of their own telephones; and looks forward to when all the objectives of the honourable Member for Worsley are realised.

That this House warmly welcomes the newly announced controls of chatline and associated services by British Telecom; sees this as a major victory for the honourable Member for Worsley who has campaigned tirelessly since 1986 for such services to be controlled; notes, however, that there is some distance to go...

That this House believes that British troops in the Gulf have a right to a free telephone call to relatives and loved ones; and calls for action by the Government, given the undeniable popular appeal, to enable a free call home for each of the 35,000 British troops, given that the cost would be negligible in comparison with the overall cost of operations, which could be phased over a period of time.

That this House believes that British troops in the Gulf have a right to a free telephone call to relatives and loved ones; and calls for action by the Government, given the undeniable popular appeal, to enable a free call home for each of the 35,000 British troops, given that...

That this House is appalled at the insensitivity and greed of Independent Television Network and Red Rose Radio, Lancashire, both of which, in partnership with British Telecom and other telecommunications network providers have established Gulf advice/news telephone lines; notes that calls on these cost 33 pence and 44 pence per minute and generate vast profits for providers and networkers alike; considers this to be nauseating opportunism; and further condemns those responsible for this blatant exploitation of worried citizens, some with loved ones in the Gulf, for offering these costly services the quality of which is doubtful in any case.

That this House is appalled at the insensitivity and greed of Independent Television Network and Red Rose Radio, Lancashire, both of which, in partnership with British Telecom and other telecommunications network providers have established Gulf advice/news telephone lines; notes that calls on these cost 33 pence and 44 pence per...

That this House welcomes the initiative taken by Strathclyde Regional Council, the Scottish Foundation and the Glasgow Evening Times to set up a helpline staffed by relatives of service personnel to provide support and advice to those who have relatives and friends serving in the Gulf.

That this House welcomes the initiative taken by Strathclyde Regional Council, the Scottish Foundation and the Glasgow Evening Times to set up a helpline staffed by relatives of service personnel to provide support and advice to those who have relatives and friends serving in the Gulf.

That this House expresses grave concern at the continuing high level of obscene and malicious telephone calls, which at present is estimated as being in excess of eight million calls per year in the United Kingdom; urges that the Government have immediate talks with British Telecom and other communication networks to ensure that the calling line identity scheme is made available, for controlled public use, as soon as practicable, as this system will dramatically reduce the number of those pernicious calls which cause fear, disgust and distress to the victims who are overwhelmingly women; and also urges that the law be amended to increase the penalties for those convicted of making these cowardly and callous calls.

That this House expresses grave concern at the continuing high level of obscene and malicious telephone calls, which at present is estimated as being in excess of eight million calls per year in the United Kingdom; urges that the Government have immediate talks with British Telecom and other communication networks...

That this House notes with concern the results of a gallup poll conducted by Channel 4 Television showing that every year over eight million obscene telephone calls are received by women in Britain and that every day more than two thousand of these calls also threaten violence, that a number of women terrorised by such repeated calls move house or have mental breakdowns, that nevertheless telephone companies and the police rarely give this matter priority or attempt to trace the offenders, that the penalty for sending obscene letters through the post, Malicious Communications Act 1988, is higher than for making obscene calls, Telecommunications Act 1984, that fifteen per cent. of the callers know the women they call, though the women may not know them, and that some rapists also make obscene calls which are themselves a form of violence and an invasion of privacy; and therefore asks the Home Secretary to set up an inquiry into the extent of this problem, to examine the work of the special department of Bell Telephone Incorporated of New Jersey, United States of America which helps victims trap offending callers, to take measures to improve the rate of detection and conviction of offenders and to take steps leading to the amendment of the said Telecommunications Act 1984, section 43 increasing the penalty; and calls upon the Director General of Telecommunications to make a condition of granting licences to British Telecom and Mercury that they each set up a department at their own expense to trace obscene phone calls when requested to do so in writing by victims.

That this House notes with concern the results of a gallup poll conducted by Channel 4 Television showing that every year over eight million obscene telephone calls are received by women in Britain and that every day more than two thousand of these calls also threaten violence, that a number...

That this House takes note that the present Gallup telephone poll of honourable Members is structured in order to deceive honourable Members into thinking that it is about matters associated with the televising of the House, but it is aware of the comments of the Managing Director of Gallup in the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday 29th November when he stated that it was a somewhat 'naughty' exercise carried out on behalf of the European Commission; deplores this underhand approach; and seeks assurances from the President of the European Commission that in future, if the views of Westminster honourable Members are to be ascertained, then it is done so in direct contact between the Commission and Westminster honourable Members.

That this House takes note that the present Gallup telephone poll of honourable Members is structured in order to deceive honourable Members into thinking that it is about matters associated with the televising of the House, but it is aware of the comments of the Managing Director of Gallup in...