UK Government slammed over phoneline scam

21 May 2007 | 10:50 BST

By Tony Dennis

DVLA's phone lines raking it in

THE UK's Liberal Democrats have hit out at the government's continuing use of premium rate 0870 telephone numbers. Once again it proves that ICSTIS has no balls.

Figures obtained by Limp Dem peer, Lord Tyler, show that the biggest offender is the DVLA (vehicle licensing body) which earned £3.7 million from information lines plus nearly £2 million from driving test inquiries.

The official telecoms watchdog, Ofcom, has claimed, "Government departments should follow the guidelines that were introduced after consultation following concern from the public."

The fact that government departments have ignored the guidelines shows yet again that the official telecoms enforcer, ICSTIS, has no real powers.

If calls are made to 0870 numbers from mobile phones, it can cost up to 40 pence a minute. Civil servants have obviously not got to grips with the fact that for many people, especially the young, a fixed telephone line is an unwanted luxury.

So the young can't call at supposedly discounted rates since even Freefone (0800) numbers attract charges for most mobile phone users.

It also makes the government look massively cynical. Examples of the general public having to fork out to hear 'public information' include lines set up after the London Bombings on July 7th and lines set up for relatives worried that their loved ones were killed by the tsunami.

By contrast, the TV companies which have cheated the public over calls made to quiz lines have done so mostly through sheer incompetence. The government's actions are, by contrast, deliberate.