§ Mr. MacShaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will ensure that authorisation of a parent or guardian is needed before children under the age of 16 years enter into financial agreements with mobile phone companies; [107567]
(2) if he will introduce legislation to provide for a parent's or guardian's authorisation before children under the age of 16 years enter into a contract with mobile phone companies. [107652]
§ Ms HewittThe Government do not believe that specific regulation is desirable to prevent those under sixteen years of age from entering into a contract for a mobile phone. It is very unlikely that a consumer credit agreement entered into by person under the age of eighteen, for the purposes of a mobile phone contract, would be enforceable against that person. This is no doubt the reason why operators require a person to be over 18 before they can sign up a mobile contract.