Citizens Charter

HC Deb 06 December 1995 vol 268 c254W

Mr. Butler

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which bodies are covered by the citizens charter. [4855]

Mr. Freeman

The citizens charter applies to all public sector bodies and privatised regulated utilities where there is an element of monopoly.

The Director General of Telecommunications is charged with a statutory duty to promote the interests of consumers. The Director General has advised me that a genuinely competitive market is developing for telecommunications. For these reasons, I no longer regard BT as falling within the scope of the charter programme.