The Commons trade and industry committee is set to hold an inquiry into the exodus of call centre jobs from the UK.

Committee chairman Martin O'Neill has announced that MPs will examine the issue as part of a wider inquiry into the failure of the IT revolution to boost British jobs.

MPs are concerned that thousands of British calls centres have been lost as firms relocate to countries such as India.

Companies such as HSBC and British Telecom are planning a further wave of UK job cuts as call centre jobs are transferred to countries offering cheap labour.

O'Neill said British Telecom will be asked to explain the reasons behind the decision to relocate jobs outside the UK.

"We will be raising the issue of the removal of UK jobs to call centres to places like India," he told the Independent newspaper.

Trade unions have expressed growing unease at the state of the of the UK call centre sector.

Initially the call centre phenomenon resulted in a significant boost to poorer regions of the UK.

However the rise in the number of off-shore call centres in countries where labour is significantly cheaper has led to growing fears of job losses in unemployment blackspots.

O'Neill said MPs would want to know why the IT explosion had failed to deliver the promised increase in jobs.

"Later in the year we will assess the impact of the IT revolution and see whether the IT promise has been delivered," he added.

"I want to talk to the relevant parties and to raise with government why after the bubble burst that some of the expectations it raised have not been realised."