HC Deb 11 July 2000 vol 353 c483W
Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of her Department's telephone lines used by the general public are responded to by touch tone telephone steering systems. [129625]

Mr. Ian McCartney

One. The Cabinet Office public inquiry telephone is the only Cabinet Office line that uses a touch tone steering system.

Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many agencies of her Department use touch tone telephone steering systems when dealing with telephone inquiries from the general public. [129606]

Mr. Ian McCartney

The Government Car and Despatch Agency, which is the only agency of the Cabinet Office, does not normally deal with members of the general public and does not use touch tone telephone steering systems for inquiries.

The Central Office of Information is a department and executive agency that reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. It does not itself employ touch tone telephone steering systems when dealing with inquiries that it receives directly from the general public. However, as part of its Direct Marketing services it does contract, on behalf of its government clients, response houses and contact centres that do use touch tone telephone steering systems as a backup to live handling of calls.