The 999 Emergency Service

EDM number 690 in 1992-93, proposed by Kate Hoey on 28/10/1992.

That this House, noting the recent serious and shameful collapse of computerised London Ambulance emergency services, demands that the Government immediately halts plans by the Office of Telecommunications to hive off the 999 telephone operator service to a private, independent agency with just 150 staff, compared with the current total of over 6,000 British Telecom telephone operators trained to take 999 calls, in just three dedicated centres, compared with some 70 telephone exchanges capable of handling 999 calls, since such cost-cutting centralisation both invites disasters such as occurred with London Ambulances, particularly in the event of a major emergency, a system failure or a mistake made in the absence of the local knowledge and local pronunciation currently provided, and bearing in mind that emergency calls covered by the 999 service include not just ambulances, but police, fires, crimes, attacks and coastguards.

This motion has been signed by a total of 98 MPs.