COST OF CALLING DOCTORS' SURGERIES

EDM number 1989 in 2006-07, proposed by Sharon Hodgson on 24/07/2007.

That this House strongly deplores the practice of doctors' surgeries setting up more expensive telephone numbers with an 0844 prefix, which are up to four pence a minute more expensive to call from a standard BT landline, through which patients have to book appointments, although the telephone watchdog Ofcom is rightly critical of the idea; believes that this unfairly penalises the less well off; and urges the greater use of geographical telephone numbers for such purposes.

This motion has been signed by a total of 52 MPs.