Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Penn Elcom Global Parcel Theft Report 2022, published in October 2022, what action they expect Ofcom to take in response to parcel theft, and when.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Ofcom is the designated, independent regulator for the postal sector. The Government has no role in its regulatory decisions.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, it is the seller’s responsibility to ensure items ordered are delivered and Ofcom requires postal operators to take all reasonable steps to minimise exposure of postal packets to risk of loss, theft, damage or interference in terms of an essential requirement.
In its 2022 review of postal regulation, Ofcom recognised that the safety and security of parcels remains a key consumer concern and will continue to monitor the issue.
Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the finding by Citizens Advice in 2021 that 5.5 million people had a parcel lost or stolen in the 12 months leading up to 31 July 2021, what plans they have to persuade courier companies to include parcel tracking in their base level of service.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is for retailers to determine the delivery services they make available to their customers and the Government has no plans to ask courier companies to provide tracking as standard.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, it is the seller’s responsibility to ensure items ordered are delivered and Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the postal sector, has imposed an ‘Essential Condition’ requiring relevant parcel delivery companies to take all reasonable steps to minimise exposure of postal packets to risk of loss, theft, damage or interference.