§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action he is taking to tackle spam e-mails as they affect e-government. [137907]
§ Mr. TimmsJunk e-mail or spam is a nuisance to all internet users and may slow down and impair the efficiency of networks. There will be new regulatory controls here on the sending of unsolicited direct marketing e-mail under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, which come into force on 11 December. The UK is also active in international discussions on how to tackle the problem of cross border spam, both in fora like the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and bilaterally with the US and other national governments (in October this year, for instance, Andrew Finder, the E-Envoy, took part in a visit to Washington to talk to US legislators and officials about spam issues).