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Written question asked by Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 11 January 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 16 January 2006. It was answered by Alun Michael (Labour) on Thursday, 26 January 2006 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Telephone Preference Service

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints of alleged breaches of Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 were received by the (a) Information Commissioner, (b) Direct Marketing Association and (c) Telephone Preference Services Ltd. in each quarter of the last three years.
Answer

I am advised by the Information Commissioner that direct complaints received and dealt with about alleged breaches of Regulation 21 (unsolicited direct marketing calls) of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 were as follows:

2004 2005
Q1 28 336
Q2 44 397
Q3 213 184
Q4 308 96

Figures before 2004 are not available due to the casework management system previously operated by the ICO.The Telephone Preference Service Ltd. (TPSL) is a subsidiary company of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and runs the Telephone Preference Service under contract from Ofcom, the Communications regulator. Complaints to the DMA are forwarded to TPSL—the DMA does not keep its own figures.I am advised by TPSL that complaints received were as follows:

2003 2004 2005
Q1 1,953 4,456 8,613
Q2 1,143 3,776 9,154
Q3 1,925 5,354 5,561
Q4 1,944 7,008 4,889

If a customer's telephone number has been registered with the Telephone Preference Service for at least 28 days and the customer's is still receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls, he or she can complain to TPSL. TPSL will contact the organisation concerned with a view to stopping such calls and include the complaint in the regular report it sends to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner does not investigate individual complaints received by TPSL but does use the information provided to monitor trends of complaints and potential multiple breaches. Where appropriate, the Information Commissioner can use this information as further evidence in investigations into complaints.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
42499; 441 c2353-4W
Session
2005-06
Subjects
Complaints Telephones Unsolicited goods and services Telephone Preference Service
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk