RegulationDec 20 2018

Date set for cold calling ban

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Date set for cold calling ban

Legislation underpinning the government's cold calling ban to stop pension scams is expected to come into force on January 9.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2018, containing the ban, was approved in the House of Commons on Tuesday (December 18), according to the economic secretary.

John Glen said on Twitter: "Pensions cold calling is a scourge, so I was pleased and proud to see Parliament pass a ban on it this week. This means the ban will officially come into force on 9th January. Spread the word."

The ban will be enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which recently received new powers to fine bosses of companies which plague people with unsolicited cold calls by as much as £500,000.

Plans to ban cold calling, which will include emails and texts, were announced in August 2017.

The government was originally supposed to introduce the ban by the end of June, but it later admitted it had missed its deadline and instead ran a consultation on the matter in the summer.

In April the Labour party had tried to amend the bill as it was passing through Parliament, in a bid to strengthen the rules and achieve tougher sanctions.

It emerged earlier this month that the number of people seeking information about pension scams had risen five-fold since the launch of a joint campaign by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

maria.espadinha@ft.com