Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to tackle nuisance telephone calls; and if he will make a statement.

Tackling nuisance telephone calls is a priority for the Department. A range of options for reform are being pursued, which includes both legislative and non-legislative measures that will protect consumers more effectively.

Our Nuisance Calls Action Plan of 30 March 2014, included proposals to enable the Office of Communications (Ofcom) to share information more easily with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about companies who may be breaching the regulations. We made this measure effective on 15 July 2014 and it will help ICO to take enforcement action against companies deliberately breaching the rules.

We are also soon to consult to lower the legal threshold, making it easier for ICO to take more enforcement action, including issuing monetary penalties to companies who currently manage to avoid having action taken against them. Work on improving the ability of communication service providers to trace calls is underway and led by Ofcom, with our encouragement. Consent and lead generation issues including how telephone numbers are captured and sold on, are also being considered by the Taskforce led by Which? that will report to the Department by the end of this year. Further details about the full range of measures outlined in our Action Plan can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled

Steps taken to date include the Department having improved signposting and information about whom to contact when needing to report nuisance calls, a simpler complaints process, and greater use by regulators of their powers, including the ICO and Ofcom having to date issued monetary penalties totalling more than £2.2 million for nuisance telephone calls and SMS text messages. We will continue to work with regulators, consumer group representatives and the industry to deliver improved protection for the benefit of consumers.