§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if, when he next meets the Director-General of Oftel, he will direct him to make it a condition of British Telecom's licence that they abolish rental charges on telephones for pensioner customers.
§ Mr. AtkinsUnder the terms of the Telecommunications Act 1984, it would be entirely for the Director General of Telecommunications to consider whether such a licence condition would be appropriate. I understand that he is considering with British Telecom the details of a more effective replacement for the existing low user rebate scheme and that he is aware of the importance such a scheme has for those pensioners who spend relatively little on telephone calls.