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<p>Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers and officials meet
intermittently with representatives of UK postal companies, though there have not
been any recent representations from such operators specifically on the issue of delivering
mail in urban areas of the country.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Under the Postal
Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom as an experienced and independent regulator
the primary statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal service to all
addresses – urban and rural – in the UK. Ofcom maintains an ongoing monitoring regime
which tracks Royal Mail’s performance and any actual or potential market impacts on
the provision of the universal service. Ofcom has said that their own evidence clearly
shows that the service is not currently under threat.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ofcom
has been reviewing the case which Royal Mail has been making about the potential impact
of competition on their ability to provide that service and is expected to make a
statement very shortly. More information about Ofcom’s regulatory regime can be found
on its website (<a href="http://www.ofcom.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.ofcom.org.uk/</a>).</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The BIS Select Committee is currently carrying out an inquiry
into postal competition in the UK and postal operators have recently submitted their
evidence on market competition to inform the inquiry. Copies of written submissions
can be found on Parliament’s website (<a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-innovation-and-skills/inquiries/parliament-2010/competition-in-the-uk-postal-sector-/?type=Written#pnlPublicationFilter"
target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-innovation-and-skills/inquiries/parliament-2010/competition-in-the-uk-postal-sector-/?type=Written#pnlPublicationFilter</a>).</p><p>
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