Information and Communications Technology Issues

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 March 2013

Thursday, 21 March 2013

Ceisteanna (225)

Sean Fleming

Ceist:

225. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made within his Department on phasing out the use of LoCall 1890 numbers that can be extremely expensive when dialled from mobile phones and introducing 076 number, which generally included in tariff bundles provided by most mobile network operators and are charged at the same rate as national calls, in view of the fact that the number of mobile phones exceed the number of landlines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14477/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My Department currently uses 076 numbers from a block of numbers obtained from Comreg by the Centre for Management and Organisation Management (CMOD) in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, for use by public bodies.

These numbers are used for all new requirements which would have traditionally been serviced using “Lo-Call 1890” type numbers. An upgrade of my Department’s telephone technology is being progressed as resources allow and this will facilitate the replacement of the remaining 1890 numbers, which will be migrated to 076 numbering when feasible.