§ Mr. PageTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will consider authorising the Director General of Telecommunications to designate standards for meters.
§ Mr. ButcherMy right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in exercise of his powers under section 24 of the Telecommunications Act 1984, has decided to authorise the Director General of Telecommunications to designate standards for meters for use within telecommunication systems.
This is a further extension of the Director General's powers in the area of standards designation and is in addition to his existing powers to designate standards for telecommunications apparatus.
§ Mr. PageTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps will be taken to reassure telephone users that the metering of calls is accurate.
§ Mr. ButcherI can announce that I have received advice from the Director General of Telecommunications that I should appoint the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT) as an approval authority for the meters within the public telecommunication systems run by British Telecommunications plc or Mercury Communications Ltd.
My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has considered this advice and is minded, subject to consultation with the public telecommunications operators concerned, to so appoint BABT under section 25 of the 1984 Telecommunications Act.
I welcome this proposed metering approval role for BABT and also the wider steps that the Director General of Telecommunications has in mind to safeguard users' interests in this area. These steps are covered in a parallel announcement by the Director General today, which I am sure will be received with interest by many consumers.