Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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1654. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps he will take to end the use of 1890 and 1850 numbers for contacting State agencies and other public bodies, which are resulting in additional costs to customers with free call phone packages to normal landline numbers by as much as 35 cent a minute; the further steps he will take to have these numbers phased out altogether here or, alternatively, enter discussions with phone service providers to force them to treat these calls the same way as landline calls in their pricing structures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24693/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The matter raised by the Deputy is a customer service issue for the organisations concerned. The use and display of telephone numbers is an area in which I have no statutory function. The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) manages and administers the National Numbering Scheme which lists all numbers and codes that are available for use on public telecommunications networks. ComReg, which is independent in the exercise of its functions, has established a variety of access code types, in accordance with international norms, including: - geographic numbering where charges are incurred by the caller at a local or national rate;

- 1850 numbers which share the costs between the caller and the service provider at a fixed rate when called from a fixed line number, and

- 1890 numbers which share the costs between the caller and the service provider having regard to the duration of the call when called from a fixed line number.

Neither my Department nor ComReg has any authority to compel public bodies, including State Agencies, to use or display any particular telephone access codes in preference to alternative codes available.

I would draw the Deputy's attention however to arrangements in my Department which operates an 1890 lo-call option for users contacting my Department from fixed line numbers and a standard 01-6782000 access code which allows mobile phone users to contact my Department at the standard rate charged by their service provider or within bundled minutes, depending on the package any customer has chosen.