BT has been accused of “shameless profiteering” after official figures indicated that the telecommunications company has generated more than £1m from a phone line designed to help people struggling with the new universal credit system. The controversial scheme is being rolled out across England and Wales in phases over three years, but it was revealed on Tuesday that customers have already paid for their first month using the service. In a parliamentary written answer last week, the employment minister Priti Patel said that 2.2m calls have been answered by universal credit agents manning an 0345 helpline. BT has been accused of “shameless profiteering” after official figures indicated that the telecommunications giant has generated more than £1m from a phone line designed to help people struggling with the new universal credit system. Farron estimates that this has generated a minimum of £1.49m for BT (and possibly as much as £6.6m) because Patel said in her written answer that each call lasts an average of 7mins 29 secs. Calls to 0345 numbers from landlines cost up to 12p a minute and up to 45p a minute from mobiles.
BT has been accused of “shameless profiteering” after official figures indicated that the telecommunications company has generated more than £1m from a phone line designed to help people struggling with the new universal credit system. The controversial scheme is being rolled out across England and Wales in phases over three years, but it was revealed on Tuesday that customers have already paid for their first month using the service. In a parliamentary written answer last week, the employment minister Priti Patel said that 2.2m calls have been answered by universal credit agents manning an 0345 helpline. Farron estimates that this has generated a minimum of £1.49m for BT (and possibly as much as £6.6m) because Patel said in her written answer that each call lasts an average of 7mins 29 secs. Calls to 0345 numbers from landlines cost up to 12p a minute and up to 45p a minute from mobiles.