§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to introduce legislation to regulate telephone metering in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Leigh[holding answer 17 February 1993]: My Department has lead reponsibility for telecommunications matters. The licences of all public telecommunications operators in the United Kingdom require the operators to have their telephone meters independently approved under section 24 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 and to ensure that their bills to customers are accurate. The Director General of Telecommunications has powers to independently verify that operators are complying with these requirements, and if necessary, to take enforcement action against an operator who is not in compliance with the requirements.