§ 28. Mr. CongdonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the economic benefits of reduced telecommunication charges. [28517]
§ Mr. JackThe Treasury has not carried out a detailed study of the effect of lower telecommunications prices on the UK economy. However, I would expect the very substantial falls in prices since privatisation—they are down some 40 per cent. in real terms—to have provided significant economic benefits to businesses and their competitiveness, particularly those for whom communication is a key element. The UK is now one of the cheapest countries in the world in which to make telephone calls, and UK charges and the cheapest in Europe, thus reaffirming our own economic competitiveness.
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