Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with Royal Mail to encourage timely deliveries in Birmingham.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.

In November, I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and International Distribution Services and raised concerns about Royal Mail's performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if quality of service does not improve.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.