Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what safeguards are being put in place to ensure that forthcoming changes to the Universal Service Obligation do not further disadvantage constituents who rely on the timely delivery of essential correspondence, including medical notices and legal documents.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has a statutory duty to secure the provision of a universal service that meets the reasonable needs of users and to consider the impacts of any changes to the Universal Service Obligation. Ofcom conducted extensive research and public consultation ahead of the decision to change the requirements and has stated that it will continue to monitor quality of service closely and hold Royal Mail to account for improving reliability as reforms are implemented.

Royal Mail has publicly committed to publishing a detailed deployment and quality of service improvement plan as soon as possible following the conclusion of its discussions with the Communication Workers Union.