Carmichael: ‘New bill on unsolicited calls is essential’

Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, has sponsored a new bill on preventing cold calling.

The bill, brought forward by Conservative MP Stephen Kerr, was backed by Mr. Carmichael and was heard for the first stage on Tuesday last week in the House of Commons.

Commenting on the bill, Mr. Carmichael said: “Cold calls, are an inconvenient, unwelcome, and annoying problem which many face across the Northern Isles and beyond. Some years ago, a system was brought in to try and reduce this, but it has clearly not completely eliminated these problems.

“Some estimates suggest that as many as 70 million nuisance calls are made every year in the UK alone, and this new bill will make it easier to prevent them. More needs to be done to make directors responsible for the companies which run these cold calls, and penalties for abuse must be more robust.

“I will continue to work across the whole House of Commons to do what I can to ensure that this important bill, becomes law, and protects some of the most vulnerable in our community from abuse.”