'A 999 text service could help save more lives' - John Leech MP

3.00.04pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jul 2008

A 999 text message service would be particularly useful for someone in a dangerous situation where they are not able to speak out

Liberal Democrat MP for Manchester Withington, John Leech, is backing calls for the mobile phone industry to introduce a text message 999 service.

"If people have the opportunity to send a text message to alert the emergency services, it is inevitable more lives will be saved," John Leech MP said.

"People with respiratory conditions or hearing impairments, for example, may not be able to use the phone, but could text for help. There are also people in dangerous situations where they cannot speak out but could text for assistance."

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Notes to editors:

1. John Leech MP has backed a Parliamentary Motion on the subject, the text of which is set out below:

Text of Early Day Motion 1964

That this House notes that there is no facility to allow people to use text messages to contact blue light emergency services and believes that such a service could assist people needing to contact the emergency services when unable to speak and calls on Her Majesty's Government to encourage the mobile phone industry to come up with a text message '999' number through which blue light emergency services can be contacted.