Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the cost of calling the 101 non-emergency number on use of the number.

Consumer research undertaken by the Department following the launch of the 101 non-emergency service showed that the majority of respondents felt that the 15 pence call charge was reasonable.

Research by Ofcom shows that a small fixed charge does not deter people from calling the service and reduces the likelihood of it being used inappropriately.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that 51% of the public are aware of 101. Awareness and use of the number have increased steadily since 2011, when 30% of the public were aware of it. Calls almost trebled during the period
December 2011 to October 2014, increasing from 908,600 to 2,645,593.