Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on simplification and clarification of tariffs charged by private providers for directory inquiries; and what information his Department holds on whether mobile telephone inquirers have been overcharged by directory inquiry providers.

I meet regularly with Ofcom to discuss a variety of issues.

Ofcom is concerned about unclear telephone charges and is introducing rules which make the cost of calling 118 numbers clearer for telephone users.

Under changes coming into effect this summer, both telecoms and 118 service providers will have to be clear on what they each charge for 118 calls. The costs of calls will be split out into an access charge and a service charge so consumers can compare costs for calling different 118 services – and see where their money is going.