Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on achieving delivery targets for (a) first and (b) second class mail.

In November I met with Royal Mail’s CEO and stressed the importance of a reliable postal service including for first and second class mail.

As the independent regulator for the postal sector, it is for Ofcom to oversee Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation and decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. While the government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions, I also recently met with representatives from Ofcom who reasserted their commitment to ensuring that the universal postal service meets the reasonable needs of users.