The Trade and Industry Committee has agreed to the following Report:—

1. Telephone numbering has been a controversial issue throughout the 1990s, with consumers and firms objecting to the implementation of number changes. There have been complaints about the costs involved in changing numbers and questions raised about the need for change, particularly in relation to London which is facing its third code change within a decade.[1] Consumer Communications for England (CCE), one of the telecommunications' industry's statutory consumer bodies, told us during our inquiry that the last major change, phONEday in 1995, "was not well received in the press" and left many consumers "confused and worried that they faced the likelihood of having to change their telephone number every few years"[2]. In the light of these past concerns and following correspondence from the Freephone User Group (FUG), we decided on 2 December 1998 to inquire into telephone numbering and the current proposals for change.

2. We heard oral evidence on 12 January from Mr. David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications, and other representatives of the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel); Mr. John Chaplin, Chairman of FUG, and representatives of Guardian Direct and Forte Hotels, both major freephone customers; and from Ms. Moira Black, Chairman of CCE. We are grateful for their evidence, both orally and in writing, and for the other written memoranda we received. We also heard oral evidence from the Director General on a whole range of telecommunications issues, aside from numbering, record of which we have printed with the Minutes of Evidence.[3] Although we have not reported on any of these broader issues we intend to keep them under close scrutiny and will return to them in the future.

2  Ev, p3, paragraph 3.1; but Oftel's research reported that 85% of consumers thought that phONEday was not a significant problem, Telecommunications Numbering Policy, Oftel, Oct 95, paragraph 20 Back

3  Qq61-115 Back