Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls were made to the disability living allowance helpline, 08457 123456 in each of the last five financial years; how much revenue was generated from these calls; and by when he expects to end the use of this number.

The following table details the number of calls received on the Disability Living Allowance Helpline, 08457 123456 for each of the last five financial years as reported on OPMIS (Operational Management Information Statistics) system.

DWP received no revenue for calls to this number for the financial years 2009/10 to 2013/14. The DLA Helpline service can also be accessed by dialling 03457 123456. Callers to 08457 123456 are informed of the availability of the 0345 option and are signposted to their telephony provider for advice on which number is cheaper. The use of 0845 numbers were inherited from previous Government and this Department has since introduced 0345 numbers because they are cheaper under most operators’ packages and where they are not, we have kept 0845 numbers.

Any charges that apply to these calls will be set by the customer’s telephone or mobile operator. Charge variations will occur due to operator packages and individual price plans. We are aware of possible concerns about call charges to our enquiry lines so we will offer to call a customer back if concerns are raised over the cost of the call.