Audrey Gallacher, telecoms expert at Consumer Focus said:
‘We welcome the move to make calls to some of the Department of Work and Pension’s 0800 numbers free if called from mobiles. This will come as good news to many consumers, particularly elderly people and those on low incomes.
‘But this should be just the first step not a temporary move. People need to be able to access all essential services that use 0800, such as frontline NHS phone services, free from a mobile. Consumer Focus research found that around 8 out of ten people thought calls to essential helplines should cost the same from mobiles as from landlines. ’
