§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidelines exist regarding(a) telephone sales calls and (b) inducing residents to call high-cost telephone numbers in order to 296W claim prizes offered through unsolicited mail (i) in the United Kingdom and (ii) from abroad; and if he will make a statement. [61503]
§ Dr. Howells[holding answer 30 November 1998]: The information requested is:
a (i) Under the Telecommunications Act 1984, UK companies using telephone marketing are subject to a class licence which contains measures aimed at limiting potential nuisance. In addition, the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a scheme to help residential customers reduce the number of telesales calls they receive. Residential customers can register for inclusion in a database against which companies selling via the telephone can voluntarily "clean" their mailing lists.However, the Government are considering introducing an "opt-out" scheme for individual subscribers under the EC Telecoms Data Protection Directive as soon as is practicable in 1999. This scheme will be mandatory for companies selling by telephone.a (ii) The EC Directive also applies to other Members States. Complaints about unsolicited telephone sales calls from abroad are extremely rare.b (i and ii) Whether provided from the UK or abroad, mailshots encouraging residents to call high-cost lines to claim prizes are part of the Premium Rate Services (PRS) industry and are regulated by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) through a Code of Practice which covers the promotional material for and the duration of competitions and games with prizes. ICSTIS can fine service providers who breach the code and can recommend that network operators bar access to companies' services which breach the Code.Members of the public can raise concerns about particular PRS services by telephoning ICSTIS' free complaints line on 0800 500212.