Hansard

Telephone Services

Volume 330: debated on Tuesday 27 April 1999

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Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the telephone preference scheme and the access overload control scheme have been used in each of the last 20 years; which categories of user were disconnected in each case; and if he will make a statement. [82445]

Mr. George Howarth

Since 1987, the preference scheme has been activated by British Telecom, in order to relieve congestion on the network, or to overcome other network problems, on the following occasions:

  • August 1987: Hungerford
  • October 1987: South East England
  • December 1988: Lockerbie
  • January 1990: Southern England
  • December 1990: Midlands
  • February 1993: Welford upon Avon
  • June 1993: Chadford.
On each occasion the public telephone service was restricted to essential users in the emergency services, central and local government, public call boxes and certain categories of people at risk, such as on kidney dialysis machines or in residential homes which have difficulties of access. Normal service was restored as soon as possible. Records prior to 1987 are no longer available.The access overload control scheme was established in November 1989. The scheme has been activated on the following occasions:

  • December 1989: M6 Motorway
  • June 1990: Knebworth (invoked in error)
  • April 1997: Aintree
  • April 1997: Crewe
  • April 1997: Gatwick
  • April 1997: Leeds.

Priority was given, in each case, to the emergency services and other essential users. The general public continued to have access to the network, limited at times by the number of essential user calls being made.