Postal Services Act 2011

30 The universal postal service

(1) OFCOM must by order (a “universal postal service order”) set out—

(a) a description of the services that they consider should be provided in the United Kingdom as a universal postal service, and

(b) the standards with which those services are to comply.

(2) A universal postal service must, as a minimum, include each of the services set out in section 31 (as read with sections 32 and 33).

(3) Before making or modifying a universal postal service order, OFCOM must carry out an assessment of the extent to which the market for the provision of postal services in the United Kingdom is meeting the reasonable needs of the users of those services.

(4) Subsection (3) does not apply in relation to the making of the first universal postal service order; but OFCOM must carry out an assessment of the kind mentioned in that subsection before the end of the period of 18 months beginning with the day on which the provisions of this Part come generally into force.

(5) The Secretary of State may direct OFCOM to secure that the first universal postal service order does not include services of a description specified in the direction.

(6) OFCOM must notify the European Commission of—

(a) the universal postal service order, and

(b) any modifications of the order.