Background
3.Prior to this Act, legislation governing the postal services sector was contained in the Postal Services Act 2000 (“the 2000 Act”). The 2000 Act, amongst other things, established the postal services regulator, the Postal Services Commission (“Postcomm”) and conferred various duties and powers on it, including the duty to ensure the provision of a universal postal service. The 2000 Act also introduced a system of licensing and regulation for postal service operators.
4.The universal postal service set out in both this Act and the 2000 Act is the minimum service that must be made available to all addresses in the United Kingdom, which numbers some 28 million at present. In the United Kingdom, the universal service provides for deliveries of letters six-days-per-week across the national network at uniform affordable prices.
5.In recent times the communications sector has undergone significant changes. The digital media revolution is offering consumers unprecedented choice in how they communicate, with email, text messages and web-based social networking all increasing in popularity.
6.In addition, the liberalisation of postal services across Europe and the introduction of competition have led to new opportunities and challenges for providers of postal services.
7.The Act implements the recommendations of the December 2008 report Modernise or Decline: policies to maintain the universal postal service in the United Kingdom(1), an independent review of the postal services sector chaired by Richard Hooper, and the update of this report, Saving the Royal Mail's Universal Postal Service in the Digital Age(2), published on 10 September 2010
8.The 2008 review process included consultation with consumers and their representatives, postal companies, trade unions, political parties, government departments, the devolved administrations and regulators.
9.The Hooper Review identified a number of key challenges facing the postal services sector and Royal Mail Group Ltd (“Royal Mail”). Particular emphasis was placed on Royal Mail as it is the only company currently capable of providing the universal service throughout the United Kingdom.
10.The Hooper Review identified five major factors that are hampering Royal Mail’s ability to respond to the changing market:
Inefficiency: Royal Mail is much less efficient and profitable than its main European peers.
Pension deficit: Royal Mail’s historic pension deficit is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and is a major drain on the company’s cash.
Pricing: Increasing postal prices is no longer guaranteed to generate sufficient revenues to offset falling volumes.
Labour relations: The relationship between management and the Communication Workers Union is extremely difficult.
Relationship with the regulator: The relationship between the company and its regulator, Postcomm, is difficult.
11.To address these difficulties, the Hooper Review proposed a package of measures:
Strategic partnership: Royal Mail should enter into a strategic partnership with one or more private sector companies with demonstrable expertise in transforming a major network business.
Pensions: Government should tackle the historic pension deficit, to enable Royal Mail to benefit from modernisation.
New regulatory regime: postal regulation should be placed within the broader context of the communications market, with the primary duty of the regulator in relation to postal services being to maintain the universal service.
12.The Hooper Review was updated at the request of Government following the 2010 General Election and published in September 2010. Richard Hooper concluded that the recommendations and analysis of the original 2008 review remained broadly valid, but required some adjustment to take account of developments in the intervening period of time.
13.The update report concluded that Royal Mail has made some progress with modernisation and that its relationships with the Regulator (Postcomm) and the Communication Workers Union had improved. However, the report also concluded that the decline of the letters market would continue and deepen, and that the growing market in fulfilment of online purchases would not provide a substitute for declining letters volumes.
14.The update report concluded with the following three recommendations:
Private sector investment: In order to maintain and sustain the universal postal service, the introduction of private sector capital into Royal Mail is strongly recommended.
Pensions: Government should relieve the Royal Mail of its historic pension deficit as part of the package of measures.
Regulation: The task of regulation should be transferred to the Office of Communications (“OFCOM”) and the primary duty of the regulator in relation to post should be to secure the efficient provision of the universal postal service. OFCOM should be given the tools and duties to focus regulation on providing a sustainable and efficient universal postal service, meeting users’ needs, whilst deregulating more quickly in competitive parts of the market.
15.As with the original review, Hooper was clear that his recommendations were a package and should be implemented as such.
The Stationery Office, CM 7529. Available to view online at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file49389.pdfBack [1]
The Stationery Office, CM 7937. Available to view online at:http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/business-sectors/docs/s/10-1143-saving-royal-mail-universal-postal-service.pdfBack [2]
