Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 her Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each such number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at BT local rates are available in each such case.

DFID uses one 0845 number for UK calls to the Public Enquiry Point. We do not record the number of calls made to the 0845 number. There is no alternative BT local rate number offered as the 0845 number in use is already charged to callers at the local rate.

DFID has no telephone lines with the prefix 0844 or 0843.