E-mail Preference Service

HC Deb 23 July 2004 vol 424 c757W

Sarah Teather

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will introduce an e-mail preference service; and if she will make a statement. [186240]

Mr. Timms

The Government introduced the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations in December 2003, which cover, among other things, the regulation of unsolicited commercial e-mails. The Government have no plans to introduce an e-mail preference service.

The Government have not ruled out extending the "opt-in" right to corporate subscribers. However, as the regulations have only been in force for seven months, it is too early to assess how the new provisions are working in practice, and what areas, if any, might need to be reviewed.