§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to propose legislation to regulate the use of aggressive telemarketing techniques. [76613]
§ Mr. TimmsUnsolicited direct marketing by telephone has been subject to regulation in the UK since 1999, and there are also consumer protections if individuals enter into contracts during this kind of call.
The current regulations are the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 19995 which provide that individual subscribers who do not wish to receive this type of call can register with a central list—the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). Direct marketers are obliged to check that they do not call numbers on the TPS list when making unsolicited calls. Direct marketers are also obliged to take account of any requests not to call again that they receive direct from individual subscribers. Further details are available on the DTI website at the following URL: http://www.dti.gov.uk/cii/regulatory/telecomms/telecommsergulations/ec telecomms data protection.shtml.
There will be an opportunity to review the way these regulations are working when we consult next year on implementation of the new version of the directive on which these regulations are based.
Organisations that market by telephone to individuals must also comply with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 that came into force in October 2000. These regulations require those making unsolicited direct marketing calls to identify clearly the company they represent and the commercial purpose of the call at the beginning of the conversation. They also stipulate that the consumer has the right to receive clear information in advance of any decision to purchase, subsequent written acknowledgement of this information., and a seven-day cooling off period for most contracts agreed at a 169W distance. Further information is available on the DTI website at the following URL: http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/ecomm.htm.