Another boost for scams campaign

Age Cymru's Scams and Swindles campaign has received a big boost with a vote of confidence by a majority of Assembly Members.

A Statement of Opinion (SoO) was raised in the National Assembly for Wales supporting calls for more protection for older people against scams and doorstep crime, following our presentation at a meeting of the Cross Party Group on Older People and Ageing recently.

These SoOs are normally signed by a handful of supportive AMs but so far 35 AMs have signed up to this one. These include the Deputy Minister for Social Services Gwenda Thomas AM and the leaders of the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

This is an impressive number, well over the 31 needed for a majority in the 60-member Assembly, especially as most cabinet members and the presiding officer generally do not sign Statements of Opinion which call for action from the Welsh Government.

Age Cymru is now hoping this show of support for our campaign will lead to a debate in the Senedd.

Campaigns Co-ordinator Gerry Keighley said:

"We are calling for increased protection for older people against scams, especially on the doorstep. The Welsh Government has committed in its Programme for Government to extend Cold Calling Control Zones in Wales and has provided a small amount of money this year to help do so.

"However, so far the Local Government Minister and First Minister have paid little heed to our suggestion that zones could be increased much faster and more significantly if the process to create them was streamlined.

"Our research suggests that the vast majority of people want them and politicians in Wales agree that they are in the public interest, especially for older and vulnerable people."

Age Cymru is now calling on supportive AMs to make the case to ministers by tabling a debate in the Senedd calling for many more zones, legal enforceability and a streamlining of the process to create them.