Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is able to take to encourage Ofcom to sanction Royal Mail if it fails to fulfil its Universal Service Obligation.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.

In October last year, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement. This is the third consecutive fine issued by the regulator after Royal Mail failed to meet service levels in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years.