Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering a review of the direct delivery market in the light of postal service providers other than Royal Mail being able to serve selected areas only.

Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom, as an independent regulator for postal services, the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal service.

Last year, following a consultation, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for postal services, set out its guidance on its approach to intervening in response to a material threat to the provision of the universal service.

Ofcom has made clear that if its ongoing monitoring regime, which keeps the situation under continual review and allows for any new evidence, does not prompt the need for any earlier assessment, it will as a matter of course carry out a full assessment of the impact of competition on the universal service towards the end of 2015.

More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk).