§ Mr. LewisTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many premium rate telephone message and one-on-one services were carried by each of the operators licensed under the Telecommunications Act 1984 for each of the last 12 months.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe telecommunications regime does not oblige individual service providers to register such services. These figures are not, therefore, available. The report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on chatline and message services does, however, provide some indications of the size of the premium rate services area. Its report indicated that some 120 service providers were in business, operating about 11,000 lines. A copy of this MMC report is available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. LewisTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many monitoring staff are employed by the independent committee for the supervision of standards of telephone information services; and how many calls they have monitored in each of the past 12 months.
§ Mr. AtkinsThese are matters for the independent committee for the supervision of standards of telephone information services. I understand that the committee is taking an increasingly active role in the monitoring of premium services, but the hon. Member may wish to write to the chairman, Louis Blom-Cooper QC, ICSTIS, 67–69 Whitfield Street, London W1P 5RL to request the details he seeks.
§ Mr. LewisTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the documents in which he458W he has given directions to the Director General of Telecommunications under section 47 of the Telecommunications Act 1984; and if he will place them in the Library.
§ Mr. AtkinsMy right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has given no directions under section 47 of the Telecommunications Act 1984.