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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with telephone providers reasons to make it easier for people to identify direct marketing calls and choose whether to accept them.

This Government is taking forward a range of measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. This includes lowering the threshold under the the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003 (PECR) to make it easier for the ICO to take action against organisations that break the law, resulting in £3,420,000 worth of fines issued.

The Government also recently made an amendment to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), requiring direct marketing companies registered in the UK, to display Calling Line Identification. This new measure will both improve consumer choice, by making it easier for people to refuse and report unwanted marketing calls; and make it easier for the Information Commissioner’s Office to investigate and take enforcement action against organisations who breach the rules.

The Department has held conversations with telephone providers on the identification of direct marketing callers and will continue do so as part of its strategy to tackle nuisance calls.