Postal Services Act 2011

31 Minimum requirements

This section sets out the services that must, as a minimum, be included in a universal postal service.

• Requirement 1: delivery of letters or other postal packets

  (1)

  At least one delivery of letters every Monday to Saturday—

  (a)

  to the home or premises of every individual or other person in the United Kingdom, or

  (b)

  to such identifiable points for the delivery of postal packets as OFCOM may approve.

  (2)

  At least one delivery of other postal packets every Monday to Friday to the places within paragraph (1)(a) or (b).

  (3)

  The references in this requirement to the delivery of letters or other postal packets include the delivery of packets posted outside the United Kingdom.

• Requirement 2: collection of letters or other postal packets

  (1)

  At least one collection of letters every Monday to Saturday from every access point in the United Kingdom used for the purpose of receiving postal packets, or any class of them, for onwards transmission in connection with the provision of a universal postal service.

  (2)

  At least one collection of other postal packets every Monday to Friday from every access point in the United Kingdom used for that purpose.

  (3)

  The references in this requirement to the onwards transmission of letters or other postal packets include their onwards transmission to places outside the United Kingdom.

• Requirement 3: service at affordable prices in accordance with uniform public tariff

  (1)

  A service of conveying postal packets from one place to another by post (including the incidental services of receiving, collecting, sorting and delivering them) at affordable prices determined in accordance with a public tariff which is uniform throughout the United Kingdom.

  (2)

  The reference in this requirement to conveying postal packets from one place to another includes conveying them to places outside the United Kingdom.

• Requirement 4: registered items service

  A registered items service at affordable prices determined in accordance with a public tariff which is uniform throughout the United Kingdom.

• Requirement 5: insured items service

  An insured items service at affordable prices determined in accordance with a public tariff which is uniform throughout the United Kingdom.

• Requirement 6: services to blind or partially sighted

  The provision free of charge of such postal services as are specified in the universal postal service order to such descriptions of blind or partially sighted persons as are so specified.

• Requirement 7: legislative petitions and addresses

  A service of conveying free of charge qualifying legislative petitions and addresses.