Government must stop dithering and act now to ban cold calling for personal injury claims, a leading lawyer has said ahead of a crucial debate in Parliament on Monday (12 March).
“There is a clear public demand for a ban on cold calling, yet the Government has rowed back on its commitment to stop this epidemic which bedevils people across this country,” said Brett Dixon, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
“Its proposal to control cold calling by changing the rules on consent will do nothing to stop unscrupulous marketing organisations from taking advantage of vulnerable people,” he said.
Mr Dixon was speaking ahead of the final stages of debate on the Financial Guidance and Claims Bill in the House of Commons on Monday.
“No-one would knowingly consent to being cold-called about a personal injury claim. The idea is unthinkable. Consent may be appropriate for other types of marketing but it has no place in the field of personal injury.
“It is intrusive, exploitative and has a pernicious impact on society,” he went on. “The Government is willing to ban cold calling in other areas, such as pensions, so its reluctance to do the same for personal injury is incomprehensible.
“A recent YouGov survey* found that more than two thirds of people would support a ban,” he said. “This is not controversial. It is time for the Government to deliver.”