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Departmental Telephone Service

Volume 471: debated on Monday 28 January 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 0845 or similar cost telephone numbers are used by (a) her Department and (b) related departmental bodies for public access to services. (179202)

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Number

Purpose

Type

0870 521 0410

Passport advice line

Phone

0870 240 8090

Passport advice line (Text Phone Service)

Minicom

0870 243 4477

Passport inquiries for High Street Partners

Phone

0870 243 1902

Passport Complaints

Phone

0870 909 0778

Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure dispute line

Phone

0870 125 1256

Siemens Business Services Query Letters

Phone

0870 909 0844

Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure application line

Phone

0870 909 0223

Criminal Records Bureau Welsh Language Line

Phone

0870 909 0344

Criminal Records Bureau

Minicom

0870 241 4680

Home Office's mailing house, Prolog

Phone

0870 241 4786

Home Office's mailing house, Prolog

Fax

0870 220 2000

TOGETHER (advice line for practitioners on tackling antisocial behaviour).

Phone

0870 336 9031

Contact Private Office to Jacqui Smith

Fax

0870 336 9032

Contact Private Office to Lord West

Fax

0870 336 9033

Contact Private Office to Vernon Coaker

Fax

0870 336 9034

Contact Private Office to Liam Byrne

Fax

0870 336 9035

Contact Private Office to Tony McNulty

Fax

0870 336 9036

Contact Private Office to Meg Hillier

Fax

0870 336 9048

Contact Parliamentary Team

Fax

0870 336 9045

Contact Ministers' Special Advisers

Fax

0870 336 9041

Contact Private Office Management Support Unit

Fax

0870 336 9037

Contact Permanent Secretary's Office

Fax

0870 243 0100

Security Industry Authority

Phone

0845 010 6677

Employers1 Helpline

Phone

0845 039 8002

PROSPECTS helpline

Phone

0845 601 2298

BIA Evidence and Enquiry line

Phone

0870 240 3781

Immigration Enquiry Bureau (enforcement and removals -recorded message only)

Phone

0845 300 2002

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Phone

0870 909 0811

Criminal Records Bureau General Inquiries

Phone

0870 909 0822

Criminal Records Bureau Registration Information Line

Phone

0845 602 1739

Enquiries about asylum support applications

Phone

0870 606 7766

Immigration Enquiry Bureau

Phone

0870 241 0645

Requests for immigration application forms

Phone

0845 010 5200

Nationality telephone enquiries

Phone

0870 521 0224

BIA Work Permits Literature Order Line

Phone

0845 600 0914

Asylum Support Customer Contact Centre

Phone

0870 241 6523

Enquiries about the work of the BIA Complaints Unit and advice to callers about how to complain

Phone

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which telephone contact centres are the responsibility of her Department; what mechanisms are in place to monitor their effectiveness; and how many people have been employed in each of those centres in each year since they were established. (166550)

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Contact centre

Purpose

Monitoring/mechanisms

Number of staff

Ashby-de-la-Zouch (Leicestershire)

IPS—Call arrangements are for customer inquiries and appointment bookings—also e-mail inquiries such as progress chasers, customer complaints and requests for passport application packs. Services provided by Teleperformance.

Performance is monitored against contractual KPI and SLAs. Meetings take place with the supplier monthly to ensure continuous service improvement.

This is seasonal and varies on a month to month basis. In October 2007 full-time equivalent staff employed on the IPS account was 234.

Bangor (Northern Ireland)

IPS—As above.

As above.

Varies on a month to month basis. Total number of staff is included in the figure above.

Bristol

IPS—As above.

As above.

Varies on a month to month basis. Total number of staff is included in the figure above.

Immigration Inquiry Bureau (IEB)

BIA—Deals with inquiries from the public relating to general immigration issues, requests for progress on individual cases and requests for immigration application forms.

Performance is measured on calls answered against demand on a daily basis and reports its management information weekly to senior managers. This in turn is included in regular information on performance given to managers.

IEB employs a total of 180 staff, including part-time members.

Sheffield Contact Centre

BIA—Deals with inquiries on all work permit schemes and programmes and provides advice to employers on recruiting non UK nationals.

1 per cent. of all calls are monitored for quality purposes.

55 staff

Liverpool Contact Centre

BIA—Deals with general inquiries about citizenship and right of abode, requests for progress on individual cases and requests for application forms.

All call centres are measured on the number of calls answered against demand on a daily, weekly, monthly basis and on the quality of service provided. 1 per cent. of all calls are monitored for quality purposes.

60 staff

Evidence and Inquiry Unit

BIA—Deals with a range of inquiries from other Crown agencies.

There is a facility to record all calls and also reports weekly and monthly on a number of quality fronts including one to one sessions with staff and dealing with complaints if received.

As of 20 November there were a total of 55 staff.

MPs Hotline

BIA—Deals with MP's, House of Lords, European Parliament and members of the Scottish Parliament and devolved assemblies. Deals with a range of inquiries.

Performance is measured on calls answered against demand on a daily basis and reports its management info weekly to senior managers. MPs and their constituency offices provide regular feedback on the service provided by the Hotline.

As of 19 November the MPs Hotline employs 15 staff.

CRB Contact Centre

Deals with the receipt of telephone calls from applicants, organisations, registered bodies (through whom applicants submit their applications) and other third parties. Service provided by Capita Business Services.

This is monitored through contractual service levels. These service levels are reported against on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Year 2003: 81

Year 2004: 87

Year 2005: 92

Year 2006: 99

Year 2007: 79

Adelphi Service Centre

Deals with invoice payments, expense payments, Adelphi password resets and general assistance.

This is monitored through contractual service levels key performance indicators. These service levels are reported against on a monthly basis.

16 staff

Home Office public switchboard

The Home Office public switchboard deals with non-specific callers (i.e. those who do not have a name/extension number). They either deal with the query or request for a publication direct; put the caller through to whichever part of the office can deal with their query; or, if they have called the HO in error, advise them which Department/agency they should contact.

Performance data are maintained on an ongoing basis. Calls are monitored using a computer system which is linked to a wall board showing real time performance throughout the day (number of calls received, number of calls answered, calls in queue, agents logged on, agents on call and agents ready to take calls). The information stored on this system indicates performance in terms of how many calls are answered and how quickly they are answered over a specific time period.

3 to 4 full-time staff. This can be extended to additional staff at times of peak load.