§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research she has undertaken on systems which allow people to opt out of receiving unsolicited faxes; and if she will make a statement. [42856]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonWe consulted widely about this when we were considering how to implement the Telecommunications Data Protection and Privacy Directive in 1999.
No-one may send an unsolicited fax for direct marketing purposes to an individual subscriber without the subscriber's prior consent. Nor may anyone send such a fax to corporate subscribers if they have registered with the Fax Preference Service, or if they have told the direct marketer not to send them any further faxes. These regulations are enforced by the information commissioner.