Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Seventh Report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee entitled Royal Mail, published on 17 March 2023, HC 1045, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the powers of Ofcom to hold Royal Mail accountable for meeting the universal service obligation and its standard of service.

Ofcom has the necessary powers to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards, including powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. Ofcom will, if appropriate, issue fines for failure to meet performance targets such as the £1.5m penalty imposed on Royal Mail in 2020 for missing its 2018/19 delivery target.