§ Mr. ChurchillTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will discuss with the chairman of British Telecom and the Director General of the Office of Telecommunications what evidence there is of telephone engineers tapping into private subscribers' lines to make 898 and other premium-rate or long-distance calls: and what steps are being taken to prevent this from occurring.
§ Mr. RedwoodMy right hon. Friend has no plans for such a discussion. This is a matter for the Director General of Telecommunications, Sir Bryan Carsberg. I understand that he has instructed his staff to conduct a thorough and wide-ranging review of all premium-rate disputes. The investigation of allegations that telephone engineers have been tapping into private subscribers' lines to make illicit calls will form part of that review.