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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of Royal Mail in providing a universal postal service during the COVID-19 pandemic; how many instances they have recorded of a failure to provide such a service in specific areas; and (1) where, and (2) when, any such failures have occurred.

Royal Mail, a private company, has well-established contingency plans to mitigate disruption to postal services which are overseen by Ofcom, the independent regulator responsible for monitoring the delivery of the universal postal service.

In its statement of 14 January 2021, Ofcom recognises that the pandemic is an emergency under its regulatory framework and that it is continuing to monitor Royal Mail’s performance carefully, remaining in close contact with the company to ensure it is providing the best service it can to customers. The full statement is available on Ofcom’s website.