Farron welcomes parliamentary report to tackle nuisance calls
South Lakes MP Tim Farron, has welcomed the publication of the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group's (APPG) inquiry into the unsolicited marketing and phone calls.
The APPG, which is made up of MPs from across the UK and the political spectrum, was set up to help the many thousands of constituents plagued by nuisance calls by investigating existing unscrupulous practices and identifying deficiencies in the current legislation. The Group launched the inquiry into nuisance calls in July with the aim of finding a solution to the menace affecting everyone in the UK.
The Inquiry was extremely well received across the industry with telecoms providers, regulators, consumer groups and solution providers all contributing, as well as members of the public.
Commenting on the inquiry, Tim said:"My constituents contact me regularly, expressing how fed up they are of being constantly pestered by nuisance calls and spam text messages. It is appalling that consumers are not being properly protected and are being targeted every day. Businesses, including my own Constituency office, are also being bothered by unwanted calls.
"Doing nothing is no longer an option, and this report paints a worrying picture of a country under siege. Whilst some progress has been made recently, it is not enough. The report clearly sets out recommendations which can easily be implemented by Government and industry.
"Many of the recommendations are already included in Mike Crockart MP's Private Member's Bill.
"We need action now, not in a year's time. I hope the regulators, Government and industry rise to the challenge laid down by this report and make the necessary changes which are so desperately needed."
Richard Lloyd, Which? Executive Director added: "Millions of us are being bombarded with nuisance calls and texts and people are totally sick and tired of it. We're pleased to see MPs recognising that the current system is failing the public and that the Government must go further and faster to call time on this menace.
"We need to see the law strengthened so people have greater control over use of their personal data and to make it easier for regulators to take action against companies breaking the rules."