Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November to Question 92300 on Postal Services: Standards, if he will outline the process required to change the statutory minimum requirements of the universal postal service, set out in the Postal Services Act 2011.

The minimum requirements of the universal postal service are set out in section 31 of the Postal Services Act 2011. Section 34(5) provides the Secretary of State with the power to amend section 31 by an order which is subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, requiring Parliamentary scrutiny and approval before becoming law.

Before the Secretary of State can amend section 31, Ofcom must either review the extent to which the provision made by section 31 reflects the reasonable needs of the users of postal services provided in the United Kingdom in accordance with s.34(1) or review the extent (if any) of the financial burden for a universal service provider of complying with its universal service obligations in accordance with s.44(1). The latter review may result in a report from Ofcom to the Secretary of State recommending a review under s.34(1).