The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) continues to provide an important free service for people and businesses who wish to opt out of receiving unsolicited live sales and marketing calls. Anyone who wishes to add their landline or mobile number to the TPS database can do so by visiting tpsonline.org.uk. Once a number has been registered, direct marketing organisations are legally required under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) to refrain from calling it.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforces the law and has powers to fine persons that break it. In 2021/22, the ICO issued over £2.8 million in fines issued to companies responsible for nuisance calls, texts and emails.

The ICO are currently considering responses to their consultation on new regulatory guidance on the use of their enforcement powers under PECR. This includes consideration of the circumstances where it would be appropriate to fine organisations or individual directors; and the factors the ICO would take into account when setting the level of a monetary penalty. The draft guidance can be viewed on the ICO’s website.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) impose strict obligations on organisations that make direct marketing calls to individuals in the UK. Organisations must not call a number that has been registered on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) list. For calls relating to pensions and personal injury claims, calls must not be made at all unless the consumer has provided his or her consent.

The Information Commissioner is responsible for enforcing PECR and publishes details of the actions it has taken for breaches of the legislation on its website:

https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/nuisance-calls-and-messages/

We are committed to reducing the level of nuisance calls and continue to work with industry and regulators to identify further steps to tackle the problem. For example, we have been working with National Trading Standards to supply call blocking devices to some of the most vulnerable in society.

The Government and local bodies together are investing £1.7 billion of public money to support vital improvements in broadband services across the UK. Superfast broadband coverage reached 95% of premises in December 2017 – up from 45% in 2010. Many of the premises reached had exchange only lines.

For any premises not covered by superfast broadband, as confirmed in our announcement in December 2017, we are pushing ahead with our plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request 10 Megabit per second broadband.

Within London the Government expects superfast broadband coverage to be provided by the private sector and is encouraging providers to tackle remaining issues including exchange only lines.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) are able to enforce monetary penalties on organisations that make nuisance calls to those registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). DCMS do not hold statistics on the number of companies the ICO have brought enforcement action against for breaches of direct marketing regulations. However, the ICO do publish the action they've taken for breaches of, among other things, the TPS on their website at https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/.

The regulators carried out a review this year. The Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) reviewed the effectiveness of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and published their findings on 23 July 2014. This showed that TPS registration reduced the volume of live unsolicited marketing calls by about a third and had a wider benefit, as it also reduced other types of nuisance calls by an average of a third.

Consent and lead generation issues can also impact TPS registered consumers. In its report on this subject (published 8 December 2014), the consumer group Which? acknowledged the benefits of the TPS, as a tool for consumers looking to prevent or reduce nuisance calls. Which? also put forward recommendations to the regulators on how to improve the benefits of the TPS and create greater awareness of the service.

Tackling unsolicited marketing nuisance calls remains a priority for DCMS and we published the first ever Nuisance Calls Action Plan on 30 March 2014:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled. This set out our achievements to date, work underway and proposed actions for the future, which included both legislative and non-legislative proposals. Taken together these measures will greatly benefit consumers now and in the future.

Ofcom ran an inquiry into the Telephone Preference Service, which showed that being a member does significantly reduce the number of nuisance calls received. As my hon. Friend must be aware, we have consulted extensively and changed the law in order to reduce the impact of nuisance calls.

It is clear from the number of complaints I have received that the Telephone Preference Service is simply not working. I urge the Secretary of State to take whatever action is needed to stop nuisance telephone calls.

There are no plans to reform the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) itself, as research published by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) on 23 July 2014 has shown that TPS registration reduces unsolicited marketing calls by a third. Whilst also having the wider benefit of reducing all types of nuisance calls by an average of a third.

Legislative and non-legislative measures were outlined in our Nuisance Calls Action Plan of 30 March: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled . The plan includes Ofcom and the communications providers’ progress in enabling calls to be traced, where the calling number is withheld or deliberately disguised, as it is currently difficult for ICO and Ofcom to take action where the calling number is unknown.

Consent and lead generation issues are also being considered by the Taskforce led by Which?, as consent can be unwittingly given to companies, resulting in calls to TPS registered consumers. We look forward to receiving the results from this Taskforce by the end of the year.

We have additionally ensured that Ofcom can now share information with ICO with greater ease, about the conduct of companies who may be breaching the TPS by making unsolicited marketing calls. We are also soon to consult to lower the legal threshold. This will make it easier for ICO to take enforcement action for a breach of the regulations, including the need to ensure compliance with the TPS.

Whilst we have no such plans in place I am pleased to note that Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office published new consumer research on the effectiveness of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) on 24 July 2014. This independent research showed that registering with the TPS reduced all types nuisance calls, including live sales calls, recorded messages and silent and abandoned calls by around a third. The full Ofcom report can be accessed at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/telecoms-research/tps-effectiveness/

As noted in our Nuisance Calls Action Plan of March this year we are keen to improve the enforcement of the existing regulations as we believe this will further increase the effectiveness of the TPS.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a free service and more than 19.5 million numbers are currently registered with them. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) considers complaints from consumers and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000. Since January 2012, the ICO has issued four substantive monetary penalties totalling £360,000 in relation to unsolicited marketing calls being made to TPS registered consumers and action against 15 other organisations is also under consideration. In spring 2014, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and ICO will be reviewing the effectiveness of the TPS in preventing unsolicited direct marketing calls and we will consider Ofcom’s findings to determine whether further action is necessary:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/silent-calls/joint-action-plan

Also, we will be publishing our action plan on nuisance calls early this year.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a free service and more than 19.5 million numbers are currently registered with them. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) considers complaints from consumers and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000. Since January 2012, the ICO has issued four substantive monetary penalties totalling £360,000 in relation to unsolicited marketing calls being made to TPS registered consumers and action against fifteen other organisations is also under consideration.

In spring 2014, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) will be reviewing the effectiveness of the TPS in preventing unsolicited direct marketing calls and we will consider Ofcom’s findings to determine whether further action is necessary: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/ silent-calls/joint-action-plan. Also, we will be publishing our action plan on nuisance calls in the new year.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a free service and more than 19.5 million numbers are currently registered with the TPS. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) considers complaints and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000. Since January 2012, the ICO has issued four substantive monetary penalties totalling £360,000 and action against other organisations is also under current consideration. Additionally, in spring 2014 the Office of Communications (Ofcom) will be reviewing the effectiveness of the TPS in preventing unwanted calls and we will consider Ofcom's findings to determine whether further action is necessary:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/silent-calls/joint-action-plan

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) provides protection to consumers from unsolicited marketing calls. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has enforcement responsibility for the TPS and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches.

I am pressing for more action in this area, with the ICO, Office of Communications (Ofcom) and TPS working together to make improvements. The ICO has increased the resources devoted to enforcement of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003 and on 18 March 2013 served its first monetary penalty of £90,000 to a company that was making unsolicited marketing calls. The ICO has also published on its website, a list of the most complained about companies that make calls to TPS registered consumers. If the companies fail to remedy their actions, then they could face further enforcement action and ICO is also currently considering issuing penalties to two other companies for breaching the PECR:

http://www.ico.org.uk/enforcement/action/calls

In addition, Ofcom has improved information available to consumers online at:

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/privacy

which provides clearer advice on how to avoid unsolicited calls, texts and e-mails and a new Consumer Guide, signposts the correct place to make a complaint:

http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2012/10/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages

I welcome this kind of robust action from the ICO and expect them to continue with similar measures against other companies as well.