11/05/2017 Timeline

We look at why calling directory enquiries 118 services can now

cost a minimum of ?9, and hear from Money Saving Expert

Martin Lewis about what should be done.

Also - Commonwealth Games medallist Stephanie Inglis will be here,

a year on from the motorcycle accident that almost

If you're tired of the general election

campaign, we bring you our top tips for surviving the rest of it.

And there's a new superhero on the scene -

find out what her special powers are later.

Have you ever had a nasty shock after opening your phone bill?

The issue's been in the spotlight this week, after it emerged it now

costs almost ?9 per minute to call the directory

It's not the only one - many companies charge even more.

We'll get the views of the Money Saving Expert,

But first, we hear from one angry pensioner

As soon as I saw the amount on the front of the bill, I knew there was

something wrong. No way have we ever had a phone bill of ?107 will stop

the most it's ever been is ?32. I knew there was something not right.

Then I went through and saw the ?81 come I just couldn't believe it.

Iran 118 and said, there is no way I'm paying this ?81, it's

ridiculous. They said, you have no choice. You rang it, you have to. I

said, yes, but there is nothing to say. I didn't realise how much it

was going to cost. It is went on and on. I said, I'm going to the papers.

And that's what I did. I think people should just be made

aware of what can happen. And that there are these charges there and,

all right, I think most people realise when you ring the likes of

118, and you will be charged so much a minute, but what they don't

realise is the extra charges that the phone companies put on, because

that is not mentioned anywhere. There are so many now. I mean, at

one time you just had directory inquiries and that was bad. Now you

have directory inquiries, 118, there are all sorts of networks, isn't

there? I think they should standardise the costs. They give

anybody pay and have the same rate. There are so many different rates,

it is a minefield out there. In that case, Carol was eventually

refunded the cost of the call after it hit the press,

and 118 118 said they offer But how did we get to the stage

of these high call charges? I put that question to Money Saving

Expert Martin Lewis earlier. Because we fundamentally under

regulated this since it was put out to the open market. We've got

companies who are just charging more and more money, and we presume they

are doing it because they are less business. The problem with that is,

I did a Twitter poll on this today, I asked, the people who use Twitter

and social media have called directory inquiries in the last year

and it was about 3% of people, which is not surprising at all. Would you

have to assume is that it is the vulnerable and elderly, those who

are already information -- disenfranchised, who are making

these calls. These rates are abominable. The big one that

everybody knows, 118 118, ?4 95 it charges just to call, and then

another five or a minute. If you are on for four minutes, it is 20 quit.

The same company has another number, it doesn't publicise, 118 118, which

has a flat rate. This is absolutely disgraceful profiteering and the

people who are suffering the most are the ones who will be most

vulnerable and need the money most. 118 118 are not the only ones doing

it. How do the companies justify it? They don't, they don't have to

justify it. Ask them how to justify it, but there is no rule, there is

no price cap, they can charge whatever they like. They can charge

?10 a minute, ?20 a minute if they chose to. They put these prices in,

we have had some minor improvements in transparency in the way that they

were, that they are now telling you mostly the price. But those people

who have no other route to calling these, it is not businesses or

people online you can do it themselves, and it gets worse. In

many cases, you pay extortionate rates for calling 118# then they

say, would you like us to connect you? They are connecting you to a

local number that is in your free minutes, but if they do connect, you

continue to pay the rate for 118, if you are on for a half hour, it can

be an absolute fortune. There are some cheaper numbers out there.

There was 118 383, a 50p flat rate. There is also an advertising number

that you have to call the number but listen to a some adverts, but it is

free. But if you cannot avoid it, get on a search engine and find the

number yourself. This is a ripoff. I had a great idea, what we could do

is have one number, let's say 192, which is run by the state which

gives you the access to all the information you want for 15p. I've

just thought of that now! You would like to see a return to regulation?

We certainly need regulation and we certainly need to stop the

profiteering of the vulnerable people. Whether we go back, to be

serious, to the days of 192, I don't care about that. I care that the

people who are often disenfranchised from the Internet and don't have

smartphones and are not up-to-date with the technology, there were some

are that they can cheaply call up to find out a number, otherwise you

have to understand the social impact of this. You're cutting people off

from doing what they want. Some of these people will be housebound. I

don't think charging the vast and exorbitant amounts of money that we

are charging right now for these 118 118 is what was meant to happen when

we privatise this and opened it up to the market. Ofcom, the regulator,

needs to crack down on this excessive profiteering. What else

would you like to see them doing? A cap on charges? I would like to see

the charges come down, absolutely. If flat rate per call, a couple of

numbers in. I would like to make sure everybody understands very

clearly that if they connect you onwards, you might be paying that

call charge even if it could be free. I like them to say, we could

connect you onwards for a charge of ?4 a minute, or you can call

yourself and it would be free, we can text or send you the number.

There are easy solutions were doing this. But for most people, the

people who make policy and most people like me and you do not use

118 118 is anymore, it is only the vulnerable and information

disenfranchised to use these numbers, they're allowed to get away

with doing whatever they want to do. Thank you for joining us.

We asked the regulator Ofcom for comment on this.

It says it's very concerned about the rising prices

of some 118 numbers, and is already planning to review

the market to ensure prices are transparent and fair

I was just thinking, the last time I dialed her rectory, I think it was

still 192. How long ago was that? More than ten years. -- the

directory. Now, it's exactly four weeks today

till the general election. Maybe that's got you all excited,

but if it hasn't, here's James Devoy with his top tips for surviving

until the 8th of June. Come on, BBC, we did this last week.

We cannot have another election! I'm still trying to figure out motion of

seats. Fine, let's do it. Yes, we're going to have another general

election. Here are my top five tips for surviving it. I protection, you

see so many politicians plastering fake grins across their mouths is

enough to give anybody I strain. Next support. No matter what side of

the argument you're on, you will either be nodding or shaking your

head constantly until the next general election. Perot Ted, bend at

the waist. Look stupid, keep your neck. Just like that! Don't bend at

the waist for shaking. Keep calm. It's important to centre

yourself in the morning. Let's get some whale songs, some yoga, some

other nonsense. Before turning on your TV and throwing it straight out

the window. Stay hydrated. Remember your fruits

and vegetables. This is a good tip because I care about your health.

Yes, stay hydrated. And the number one top tip for

surviving this is not general election is just be nice to

everyone. It's not hard, just a bit of the basic civility. Yes, people

are going to say things and you're not going to agree, but keep your

cool. Depending on who wins, obviously.

I hope you were taking notes there. I am taking notes and keeping cool

the whole campaign! In 2014, Stephanie Inglis

was a Scottish medal hero at the Commonwealth Games

in Glasgow, winning silver in judo. But a year ago this week,

Stephanie's life took a terrible turn, after a motorcycle crash

in Vietnam left her fighting She defied the odds to pull

through - and now says her ultimate aim is to compete

again for Scotland. Stephanie joins us now,

alongside her dad Robert. Delighted to see you looking so

well. Where exactly were you this very moment last year? This time

last year was the day of my actual accident, so I was either sitting in

an ambulance outside the hospital or on my way to Hanoi to start getting

treatment. It has been quite a year. You look well, how are you doing?

I'm doing well, I've made great progress. I've just recently started

work at the beginning of April. Working two days a week at the

moment. I'm doing good, making good progress and starting to get back on

track. It's nice to see how far I have come in a year. You had gone to

Vietnam to teach youngsters, that's why you were there. But what

happened? I was teaching English as a foreign language to the Vietnamese

children, I was in a primary school and a secondary school. That

morning, and normally my primary school is about six km away, so I

would cycle to work every morning. But the only time I wouldn't cycle

is if it was really hot in the Sun was out, I didn't want to turn up

all sweaty. So this morning, it was a sunny day, I decided to get a lift

that is supplied to us, which is a motorcycle taxi. Off we went, he

dropped me off at the school, I taught my two classes that morning,

which I remember. I said goodbye to my last class, walked down the

steps, put my helmet on, and I was wearing a long skirt that touch the

ground, he told me to ride side saddle. I did, off we went back to

the apartment and then I don't burn them until I woke up six weeks later

in Edinburgh. Your clothes got caught in the wheel? Element it got

caught in the bike and I was pulled off.

Do you remember receiving the news of what happened? It must've been

530 in the morning and it was a phone call from one of Stephanie's

friends, one of the teachers aimed at Stephanie had been in an

accident. He didn't know how serious it is, she would call us back, just

to let us know. So we woke up, in another 20 minutes we got another

call, telling us it is quite serious, we would have to try and

come over. In about four hours, we were on a plane. A lot of people

give us a hand to get organised, but that was... That was a hard journey

going over to see what we were going to expect. We didn't know what to

expect. We knew she had an accident, but we didn't know how serious it

was. Then there was the news that your

medical insurance didn't cover the cost of surgery. An incredible

crowdfunding campaign was set up by your campaign. How much did it raise

in the end? 350,000 pounds raised by Khalid Gehlan. Amazing, such quick

thinking. She did so well for me. You're now working, things are going

well? What about the judo? I have had talks with my surgeon, he is not

keen for me to return to the sport because it is a full contact sport,

he thinks a risk of another head injury could be... I wouldn't come

through that. However, I have spoken to another surgeon and he had said,

your brain is like any other muscle, or if you break your leg, for

example, it is fixed will stop when your brain is healed, it is healed.

Are you taking the first opinion or second opinion? I will take a couple

of years to let everything settle down, maybe get some more test done,

some scans, then weigh up the risks and possibilities of returning.

What does the coach say? That is debatable at the time. But

she is keen, she is staying motivated, she know she has that to

taint them cap, that is the problem that the surgeons are talking about.

That is bolted on, if that means, it could be a problem.

Commonwealth Games 2022? That is the long-term goal. If I am

back training by 2020, I think I have a good chance of qualifying and

hopefully winning another medal. We wish you all the very best.

Thank you very much for coming in. Thank you.

2017 is set to be a record year for bank branch

It causes big problems for older people, especially in rural areas.

One thing that could help fill the void are credit unions.

They're set up by communities themselves, and can also keep people

away from payday lenders or loan sharks.

We've been to visit one to see how they work.

Good afternoon. Pollock credit union. How can I help you? Pollock

credit union is an organisation that has been to help the community to

save and to borrow with low interest rates, to try to take the money from

the payday lenders and also the loan sharks. We do everything that a bank

would do, but more ethical. And we seem to get more trust from the

local community and our members because we are not for profit. What

we always try to provide is that face to face with people because

what we have seen is that people still like to come in and chat to

our staff members and volunteers. Hi. I actually a member, funnily

enough. I have worked here for 12 years. We have more people coming in

because they cannot get to the banks and they are worried about when they

need something or need help. It is the older ones who do not have

online banking or do not know how to work computers so they are lost and

then they come in and can talk about anything that day. So that

conversation for a couple moments doesn't take long and they are happy

when they walk out the door again. It is just the face to face and

putting a smile on your face. I haven't actually started a savings

account yet, but I think I will be doing that. It is good for going on

holidays and things like that. It is really good. I had a few friends

that told me about it so I just joined so I could try to save up

some money in case there was any emergencies and my car has broken

down recently so I need to buy a new car. We have had various instances

of people who have never saved before or suddenly having ?100 or

?200 in the bank. With a scheduled 21 bank closures in the Glasgow area

alone this year, I believe that we have a great opportunity to deliver

a service to the community, which is probably better than a high street

bank and will allow us then to serve the local organisations and the

community to a much better standard of service. Let's pick up her

business reporter Laura McKeever. How popular are credit unions

becoming in Scotland? Well, it is growing. There has been a 7% rise in

deposits to credit unions here in Scotland just last year and a 2%

rise in membership as well you're in Scotland, so now all the credit

unions in Scotland between them are holding about half ?1 billion and

actually credit unions need to hold more cash than the rest of the banks

at anyone time to show that they cannot go bust, basically, so at the

moment of that half ?1 billion, around half that will be loaned out

to members and half of that will be staying safely they are in the

credit union. And can anybody join a credit union? I think there has

always been a perception that you have to be struggling financially to

join but that is not actually the case. What need is a link to the

credit union, so usually that would be a geographic link, so if you live

in a certain postcode in Glasgow and there is a credit union attached to

that you can apply to join and they are also linked to employers and

organisations as well so we will see an NHS credit union, a police

service credit union, and some are also connected to charities and

other organisations. Around 7% of the population are now using them,

so this is a growing thing in Scotland. Scotland has the fourth

highest level of credit union membership in Europe now, after

Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Poland. Well, thanks very much

indeed. I know you are back with the election Reporting Scotland later on

tonight. It's the troubled zoo

which was threatened with closure, after the death of nearly 500

of its animals. But this week, South Lakes Safari

Zoo in Cumbria was allowed to remain open after a decision by the local

council, which said there had been a 'change of culture.' It was also

in the headlines four years ago for safety breaches after keeper

Sarah McClay, from Glasgow, We're joined now by Sarah's

mother, Fiona, who was at What do you make of the council's

decision to give the zoo a license? Well, it is not something that I

would have wanted but unfortunately the way that legislation is at the

moment is that they have been seen to tick the boxes that are necessary

for them to be given a licence and a chance. Do you agree that they have

made the cultural changes that they say they have? I agree they have

made the visible changes for the inspectors. I am not sure at the

cultural changes are necessarily better. So what kind of changes do

you think they should be making? I think that the staff should have

been changed. It is still the same staff that bird at their part from

the owner of the zoo, so how can there possibly be as great a change

when there has only been one person removed? Suggest about this stuff? I

think so, yes. If those people had wanted to sort out what is going on,

they would have. They stated they were looking these over six months

of the year when the owner was gone, why did they not do something about

what was going on? What recognition that these are like when Sarah work

there? They appeared safe. She never commented about a safety problem as

far as looking after the animals were concerned. She was quite happy

that the animals were looked after but there was concern that about 54

keepers. That was a definite end. They were not provided with all of

the equipment that they needed and I have seen myself that there was a

keeper who was wearing waterproof trousers and they were in shreds.

That is not suitable. That person should have had protective clothing

on. What were the health and safety buildings that contributed to

Sarah's death? I think the main thing is the building that the

attacks happened and was not designed by a person who knew how to

design a building. It was designed by a building he was not a building

engineer, a structural engineer, who put together a plan and built it

with concrete. It just did not work properly. There were people who said

at the inquest and also during the prosecution trial that all the doors

should not have been able to open at the same time as any layperson would

understand that. Have those issues being overcome? I do not know that

they necessarily have. There had been external changes to the

buildings are one of the problems was that you could not see from

outside what was going on in a corridor. That has been changed. The

door is now at the end so you can see in. And what about in terms of

animal welfare, which has been another issue. It certainly has been

an issue. No one can understand why so many animals have not been looked

after properly, why whistle-blowers have not said anything. That was not

discussed at the licensing meeting. All stop -- but the zoo endeavour to

do was to discredit these people and say that they were not worthy of

giving their comments. Are you saying that you want this zoo

shutdown? I think I want the zoo punchbag different people but have

been running it during the time when all of these things have been going

on. After all you have been through, I am surprised that you're not

sitting here and saying that you do not think we should have zoos at

all. I am not against zoos and I think that zoos can be safe.

Anything can be dangerous if you are driving your car at 70 mph in the

fast lane, that is dangerous, but you do not think about it because

you assume that everyone else will try to be as safe as you are and

when you enter a zoo you automatically think that someone

else has been there before you and has ticked boxes that say you must

build your zoo like this and the legislation and licensing laws need

to be changed. And what with this operation need to do to demonstrate

to you that they are fit to run a zoo? They need to give me precise

details of how they are going to fund it. I do not understand because

we were not party to part two of the thing on Tuesday and I do not think

that they are going to be able to fund it properly. Thank you so much

for coming in and sharing your story. Thank you.

We asked the zoo to respond to what Fiona might say, but so far we have

not hurt -- heard back from them. If you have anything you want us

to follow up, do get in touch. You can find us through our Facebook

and Twitter timelines, Now, forget Wonderwoman,

Batman, or Superman, there's a new superhero

on the scene - Scootergran. Her real name is Barbel Roerig,

a German pensioner who became famous after clips of her scooting around

the streets of Perth went viral. She now uses her cult status to help

inspire youngsters to get fit. I got this scooter because I had

sore knees. My name is Barbel Roerig. I am 79

now. I have seen on Oslo airport the staff going around with a scooter

because we have two goals over the railway bridge here and I am two

stories up, saw a bike was not very suitable. It was getting too heavy

to carry up and down, especially with me carrying a local banks all

the time. So when I saw them in Oslo, I said that is a solution

because in Oslo the buses never go where I am going to go. Scootergran

just uses a scooter to go around and do her shopping and to get to the

post box and that is the message we are getting out there during walking

month, just get out there and what if you can. -- what if you can. Keep

walking and if you can't walk, use a scooter. Fantastic. Give Scootergran

a big round of applause. For at least half an hour to get the bus to

get to school, and now the children are getting driven to school

everywhere. It is quite unusual. Most people

hurried to sit around in the house not doing anything but she is fit

Gran and that is really good for her. She is really good on the

scooter. And she likes to scoot along. If you are fit, you actually

have more chance of living longer than you should if you are just

playing Xbox so it is better being fit that sitting on a game. It is

great to have a role model like that that says the matter what age you

are, you are still young at heart and you can still get around on your

own steam. It is fantastic for the kids to see that.

Glenn is off on election duties for the next few weeks

so John Beattie will be here with me.

Join us next week, same time, same place.

Explorer Alice Morrison is taking an epic 2,000-mile trek

across the Sahara, over the Atlas Mountains...

..and through ancient history. I love touching history.

It'll be tough. He's just cut a bit of the heart.

And facing fresh challenges every single day.