The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
WQ.13/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY
BY DEPUTY R.J. WARD OF ST. HELIER
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 25th JANUARY 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2021
Question
Will the Minister state what work if any, is being undertaken to create a freephone service for the Covid- 19 helpline and Social Security helpline (especially during the closure of the building in La Motte Street) to allow people who do not have a landline number to access these services without incurring charges?
Answer
I am pleased that a free phone number, 0800 735 5566. is now in place for the Coronavirus helpline. I thank Jersey Telecom for offering this service at no cost to Government.
With regards to the Customer and Local Services 444444 number, I can reassure the Deputy that calls are answered very quickly (on average in less than 20 seconds) and officers are always happy to call an individual back. In the unlikely event that someone is waiting for 2 minutes there is an automated call back facility.
Customer and Local Services also offer support over email and Islanders are still able to book a face to face appointment.
Jersey Telecom have for some time allowed Islanders to make free local calls from any public payphone and therefore customers can telephone the department free of charge via this route.
Officers will continue to monitor this to understand whether any further actions are required.