David Rutley MP is encouraging Macclesfield residents to take action against nuisance telephone calls and texts.
Over the past weeks, David has been contacted by an increasing number of residents who are unhappy with the volume of marketing calls they are receiving. Macclesfield residents can sign up to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to stop nuisance phone calls. The TPS is a simple way to opt out of sales calls, allowing people to register their home landline and mobile telephone numbers for free. 18 million telephone numbers have already been registered with the TPS.
TPS registration is simple. By registering at www.tpsonline.org.uk or by calling 0845 070 0707 a large proportion of unsolicited calls will be stopped. If, after registering, unwanted calls are still be received these can be reported through the TPS website. The TPS acts on every complaint by passing details to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). The ICO can issue fines to companies in breach of the TPS.
The Government is also looking at ways to reduce nuisance telephone calls. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has decided to hold an inquiry into nuisance telephone calls and text messages, focusing on the current regulatory system and its enforcement, the effectiveness of the Telephone Preference Service and practical measures by communications service providers to curtail such communications.
The Committee is inviting written evidence from those who wish to contribute to the inquiry. The Committee requests short written submissions in Word format. A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to cmsev@parliament.uk and should have “Nuisance calls” in the subject line. Submissions should be received by Thursday 15 August 2013.
David said, “I recognise how distressing unwanted telephone calls and text messages can be. I encourage Macclesfield residents to take advantage of the TPS to help reduce the number of unwanted calls and texts they receive. Residents may also wish to contribute to the DCMS inquiry. I will be keeping close to this important issue in the months ahead.”