HC Deb 16 April 1986 vol 95 cc867-8
12. Mr. Sumberg

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many persons work in the telecommunications division of his Department; and what are their responsibilities.

Mr. Pattie

Responsibility for all aspects of my department's work with the telecommunications industry and the Post Office rests with the telecommunications and posts division. This numbers 52 people in all.

Mr. Sumberg

Should not one of the responsibilities of the employees who work for my hon. Friend be to pick up the telephone to contact the Director General of British Telecom and tell him to stop the children's line chat show in Greater Manchester, which encourages youngsters, unknown to their parents, to run up large and unaffordable phone bills? Is that service not totally unnecessary, and will my hon. Friend do something to stop it?

Mr. Pattie

As my hon. Friend has already indicated, the content of British Telecom's services is a matter for that company. But I share my hon. Friend's concern for parents in my part of the country whose children, unknown to them, are likely to incur large telephone bills. I understand that British Telecom has put into operation an automatic cut-off after 10 minutes on all such teenage talkabout calls. The Director General of Telecommunications is already discussing this with British Telecom, and I hope that he can arrive at a satisfactory solution.

Mr. Terry Lewis

Will the Minister go further and condemn the practice of using the telephone lines for this ridiculous service? Will he take account of the fact that at least three of my constituents are saddled with bills of at least £500 because of the avarice of British Telecom? That is not on, and the Minister should condemn it.

Mr. Pattie

I would not be very keen on any member of my family, of any age, running up a large telephone bill. It is easy to condemn practices of that sort, but the important thing is that British Telecom should get a service in place that is not open to this kind of abuse. That is what we want to see.

Mr. Pawsey

Is it any part of the duties of personnel employed by this division to persuade British Telecom to purchase System X, which is manufactured by GEC and Plessey, in preference to equipment that is made by Swedish companies?

Mr. Pattie

It is not part of their responsibility to try to persuade British Telecom one way or the other. It is their responsibility to discuss with British Telecom the implications of any purchasing decisions that it may be about to make.

Mr. Williams

Will the Minister ask his officials to explain to him how British Telecom has loaded its price increases on to domestic rental and local call rates—both of which actions work to the extreme disadvantage of the elderly, the lonely, those in rural areas and the disabled—while at the same time it has reduced its commercial tariffs? Does the Minister not recognise that the new competition from Mercury for the premium commercial market will mean that BT will be able to sustain its profit levels only by further loading price increases on to the unprotected domestic consumer?

Mr. Pattie

The hon. Gentleman makes a perfectly fair point. He will recall that the Director General of Telecommunications issued a statement when the recent price increase took place indicating that he would lake a close, harsh and unsympathetic view of similar price increases loaded in the way that the hon. Gentleman described. That will take place.

Mr. Ashdown

Will the Minister ask his officials to look at the operation of the Board of Approval for British Telecom? The outrageous length of time that it is now taking to approve and certify equipment for use in BT systems is costing small, high technology companies a considerable amount of money and a loss of orders.

Mr. Pattie

I am aware of the concern being expressed in various industrial circles about the delays in the approvals system of BABT. The hon. Gentleman may be aware that the Birtwistle committee is at present examining this matter urgently and it is about to report. I shall look for some revised proposals at that time.