Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of whether the current ownership structure of Royal Mail is compatible with the effective delivery of the Universal Service Obligation.

The universal service obligation is a statutory requirement placed on the designated universal service provider and applies irrespective of the company’s ownership structure.

Royal Mail has been a fully independent business since its privatisation was completed in 2015.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine whether regulatory or enforcement action is required to ensure the effective delivery of the universal service.