Today, Thursday 16 January, a debate on the subject of “Nuisance Calls” is scheduled for the main commons chamber. It is the second item of backbench business to be fitted into a slot between roughly 11:30 and 17:00, and so is likely to begin at some time between 14:00 and 15:00.
The debate will be opened by Mike Crockart MP, who is likely to repeat his familiar call for revisions to the terms of the existing failed regulations, as proposed by Which?

Whilst supporting the obvious need to tidy up anomalies in the existing regulations, we suggest that much more radical action is required for there to be any significant change to the situation.

We have contributed to a number of items on BBC South East Today about the misuse of 084 telephone numbers.
It is therefore a little disappointing to have to respond to an invitation to "Contact Us" with the message that may be viewed below, in response to a recorded clip from the show.

Reflecting on major areas of work in 2013 and 2014

On the issue of improper use of 084 / 087 numbers, the message, and the degree of excitement, is very clear. A series of formal announcements at the end of 2013 confirms that 2014 will see a significant degree of migration from 08 to 03.

Work put in hand on the issue of selection of the appropriate call plan for landline users, will lead to an increased awareness that calls to 01/02/03 numbers are generally made without incurring a call charge. 080 numbers are expensive to operate, and presently (in general) more expensive to call than 03 numbers from mobiles. The expected migration from 08 to 03 therefore includes users of 080 numbers.

The Nuisance Calls issue has been brought back to the fore. We see this as highlighting the inevitable ineffectiveness of the measures presently seen as offering the remedy. More effective reporting and minor tweaks to the regulations will do nothing to address the problem as it exists. 2014 must be the year in which serious attention is given to radical measures that may be effective in addressing the problem. Sadly, as yet there are only limited indications that this may happen.