Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with (a) Ofcom and (b) Royal Mail on the potential implications for her Department's policies of Royal Mail's failure to meet the universal service obligation.

The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible, and affordable universal postal service.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action where there are reasonable grounds for Royal Mail failing to achieve its obligations.

Following its investigation into quality of service performance for 2022-23, Ofcom imposed a £5.6 million fine on Royal Mail for contravening its service conditions. Ofcom has committed to closely monitoring Royal Mail’s performance and the steps it is taking to return delivery offices to pre-pandemic practices.