§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many telephone inquiries the Business Link national 0845 telephone number received per week in(a) September 2002 and (b) December 2002; how many inquiries per week led to appointments for Business Link advisers; and if he will make a statement about the different categories of enquiries received between September and December 2002. [93106]
§ Nigel GriffithsThe information requested is as follows:
(a) September Weekly Telephone Inquiries to Business Link 0845 number
Date Total 1—7 September 2002 1,061 8—14 September 2002 1,120 15—21 September 2002 2,053 22—30 September 2002 1,924 September 6,158 Note:
Active Publicity campaign in progress throughout September, hence higher call volume.
1058W(b) December Weekly Telephone Inquiries to Business Link 0845 number
Date Total 1—8 December 2002 1,061 9—15 December 2002 1,159 16—22 December 2002 909 23—31 December 2002 267 December 3,570 Callers are directed via the 0845 link to their local Business Link Operator (BLO) who then treats each case individually. Adviser support is provided where the BLO judge that course best fits customer need. SBS does not require BLOs to retain detailed, constant monitoring information on such referrals.