Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of Royal Mail against its universal service obligation; and what discussions they have had with Royal Mail about the effect of the current number of vacant posts in that organisation on its ability to fulfil that obligation.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s performance of its universal service obligations. In May, Ofcom announced it had opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet its delivery targets for 2022/23. This will consider whether the reasons for its failure were within the company’s control or if there were exceptional factors to explain why it missed its targets. Ministers and officials meet Royal Mail in its capacity as the universal service provider however, as it is a private business, operational decisions, including staffing levels, are the direct responsibility of Royal Mail management.