Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of the cost of stamps on small businesses.

The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail's commercial decisions, including the prices of stamps and other services.  In setting its prices, Royal Mail must observe the regulatory framework set by Ofcom which imposes price controls, 'safeguard caps', on certain second-class products to ensure a basic universal service is available to all at affordable prices.

Ofcom reviewed the safeguard caps in 2023, including the impact of price rises on consumers and small and medium sized enterprises, and on 24 January 2024 announced its decision on the retail price caps that would apply to Royal Mail's universal postal services from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027.