Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of providing a national free to access video relay service in England; and whether they are considering setting up such a service for public services.

Under the EU Universal Service Directive, Member States must ensure that access to, and affordability of, voice telephony for end-users with disabilities is equivalent to the level enjoyed by the majority of end-users.

In the UK, the Directive is implemented through the Communications Act and the Universal Service Order. The Order requires Ofcom to ensure the provision of relay services (defined as providing facilities for the receipt and translation of voice messages into text and text into voice messages).

The Government has not made any formal assessment of costs of providing a national free to access video relay service in England.

We are aware of international comparisons with other countries, for example, Australia, Canada and the USA, where video relay service is provided for free to users and costs between £0.48 and £2.62 per citizen per year, plus state-level levies where relevant. There are a range of funding models, including general taxation and levies on communication providers.

The Government's position is that a voluntary approach to video relay should be followed and not a mandatory approach funded by taxation or general levies.