Consumers buying financial services online or over the phone will, under new rules, be able to cut out having to deal with automated responses and insist on talking to a person. The measures, which are to be signed into law by Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris on Friday, will give stronger protections to consumers.The new rules, which are based on an EU directive, will ensure that consumers can request human intervention rather than relying solely on automated online systems when buying a financial product.People will also receive clearer information before signing up for financial products or services bought online or over the phone. They will be permitted to withdraw more easily from eligible online financial contracts through a clear and accessible cancellation function.The new rules will also provide improved protection from marketing practices designed to influence or pressure purchasing decisions.Harris is expected to say on Friday that increasing numbers of people are choosing to buy financial products and services online and that these consumers should have the same confidence and protections in the digital marketplace as they do in person.“These new rules put consumers first and make sure their rights keep pace with how people now access financial services,” Harris is expected to say. “Digitalisation has significantly changed the financial services market in Ireland. While the existing financial consumer protection framework is robust, the rules I have signed into law today will ensure that the framework continues to keep pace with the increasingly digitalised financial services landscape and maintains the high level of protections for consumers.”The new rules to be signed into Irish law by the Tánaiste come under the European Union’s Directive 2023/2673 regarding financial services contracts concluded at a distance.