Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, under what timetable his Department plans to phase out use of telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, 0844 and 0843 in accordance with the Cabinet Office guidance on customer service lines published in December 2013 and (b) 03 and 08, where 03 is the primary number under a dual numbering system.

DWP has committed to introduce 0345 numbers and this started on major helplines in March 2014. The Department does not operate any prefixes that begin with 0844 or 0843.

For its enquiry helplines, the Department will begin adding the choice of 0345 numbers to their 0845 helplines where its customers call for other reasons, and these are calls that typically take less time to resolve.

OFCOM proposals for implementing change to 08 numbers are due to be implemented in June 2015. The changes result in improved charge transparency for some non geographic numbers including 0845. DWP will monitor the impact these changes have on 08 charges.