The Generalitat de Catalunya decreed yesterday, after the meeting of the Executive Council, the end of the obligation to make a prior appointment and the free 012 public helpline for one year. The two measures, explained from the Government, are part of the new model of citizen attention - which will also include video attention -, which aims to facilitate communication between the Administration and the citizen.
According to spokeswoman Patrícia Plaja, the mandatory elimination of the appointment to be attended to in the various departments dependent on the Catalan administration is a measure that aims to "overcome the digital gap that still exists". It is the result, he added, "of active listening to what the citizen demanded, of the demands of various associations and also of the recommendations of the Ombudsman".
Plaja stressed that, despite the measure, "there is still the possibility of booking an appointment" for people who want it and that it can even be requested by physically attending the administration. Likewise, he announced the creation of citizen service offices integrated in each of the vegueries where users "can carry out any kind of procedure" related to the Catalan administration.
The agreement is another step towards achieving the objectives set by the Digital Administration decree, which requires special attention to be given to assistance to citizens. The decree also aims to articulate a digital administration that promotes the empowerment of people, the democratization of technological solutions and the most appropriate attention to social demands.
Until now (and in the coming weeks or months, because there is still no date for the implementation of the measure), citizens who called 012 had to pay between 0.43 and 0.83 euros (VAT included) per call , according to the operator of the user. The Generalitat's idea is to assume this cost so that 012 becomes a free telephone. However, the Government spokeswoman did not specify a date from which the service will become free of charge for the user, but merely pointed out that the Government has set a maximum of a year to carry it out.
In this regard, he detailed that the Catalan administration will carry out an information campaign when the time comes to inform the public and announced that the cost for the Generalitat to undertake the service could be close to 1.2 million 'euros, although there is already a planned item for this amount, he said, from the Center for Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CTTI).
On whether the 061 health care telephone would follow the same path as the 012, Plaja argued that while the latter is “the exclusive competence of the Government”, the same is not the case with the former. "The 061 is the exclusive competence of the State. We have demanded that it be free through various channels and several times, but they do not foresee it". He recalled that for a period (just during the state of alarm due to the covid pandemic) this number became free, but that it was "impossible" to keep this free afterwards.
