§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations she undertook with(a) Postwatch, (b) Post Office users, (c) the CBI and (d) FSB before approving as shareholder the retiming of the first or main postal delivery after 9 a.m. [162495]
§ Mr. TimmsConditions on the delivery of mail are a licensing matter for the regulator, Postcomm. The Postal Services Act 2000, and the Licence granted by Postcomm under it, requires Royal Mail to make one daily delivery to every household in the United Kingdom. It does not specify the time at which this has to be made. Postcomm, therefore, does not have authority to dictate the time of the daily delivery. Postwatch (The Consumer Council) has worked closely with Royal Mail (and the CWU) throughout the process to ensure that the change to a single daily delivery balances commercial necessity against customer need. Postwatch undertook extensive research jointly with Royal Mail to ensure that any adverse effect on consumers was minimised. Postwatch advocated local flexibility rather than a "one-size-fits-all" solution and continues to work with Royal Mail at a local level to help ensure a smooth transition.