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Postal Services: Universal Service Obligation

Asked by Lisa SmartLiberal DemocratDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 16 May 2025UIN 51176

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of Royal Mail’s compliance with its Universal Service Obligation in areas experiencing delivery delays of 7 to 10 days between mail deliveries.

Answered by Justin Madders

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

In December 2024, following its investigation of Royal Mail’s performance in the 2023-24 financial year, Ofcom fined the company £10.5m because of its failure to significantly improve service levels. The government expects that Ofcom will continue to closely monitor Royal Mail’s performance and its action plan to improve its quality of service.

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