The Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) Order 2012

SCHEDULES

Article 5(1)(c)

SCHEDULE 1 End-to-end services at affordable prices

Single piece service

1.  “Single piece service” means a postal service for the conveyance of an individual postal packet to the addressee, for which the price per postal packet is not subject to any discounts related to—

(a) the number of postal packets sent in connection with the person who paid for the service;

(b) the positioning or formatting of text on the postal packet;

(c) the use of markings which facilitate the use of machines to sort postal packets;

(d) presortation into geographical areas for delivery; or

(e) the purchase of any other conveyance of the same or any other postal packet.

Priority services

2.  One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets other than insured items, which—

(a) have a routing time of D + 1;

(b) are capable of purchase by postage stamp and by meter and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods;

(c) include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office;

(d) include provision of proof of delivery on application by the sender; and

(e) do not include provision of a tracking facility.

Standard services

3.  One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets other than insured items, which—

(a) have a routing time of D + 3;

(b) are capable of purchase by postage stamp and by meter and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods;

(c) include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office;

(d) include provision of proof of delivery on application by the sender; and

(e) do not include provision of a tracking facility.

Registered and insured services

4.—(1) One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of insured items weighing no more than 10 kilograms and registered items weighing no more than 10 kilograms, which—

(a) have a routing time of D + 1;

(b) have a target delivery time of 1pm, except where this is not reasonably possible;

(c) include provision of a tracking facility;

(d) include provision of proof of delivery on application by the sender; and

(e) are paid for in advance.

(2) One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of registered items weighing more than 10 kilograms and insured items weighing more than 10 kilograms which convey the postal packet to the delivery point within a reasonable period.

Return to sender services

5.—(1) One or more domestic single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets back to the sender within a reasonable period, where—

(a) the postal packet has been conveyed in the provision of a universal postal service and delivery to the addressee named on the postal packet has not been effected; and

(b) the sender’s address is legibly marked on the postal packet.

(2) For the purpose of this paragraph, the definition of “single piece service” shall apply as though the words at sub-paragraph (e) of that definition were replaced with “the purchase of a conveyance of any other postal packet”.

Outgoing European Union services

6.  One or more single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets to EU offices of exchange for onward delivery to each country within the European Union other than the United Kingdom, where—

(a) the postal packet is conveyed to the EU office of exchange within a period that is—

(i) reasonable; and

(ii) compatible with a routing time for the provision of an end-to-end service of D + 3;

(b) the service or services are capable of purchase by postage stamp and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods; and

(c) the service or services include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office.

Outgoing rest of world services

7.—(1) One or more single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets to ROW offices of exchange for onward delivery to each country of the world other than countries within the European Union, where—

(a) the postal packet is conveyed to the ROW office of exchange within a period that is—

(i) reasonable; and

(ii) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 7;

(b) the service or services are capable of purchase by postage stamp and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods; and

(c) the service or services include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office.

(2) One or more single piece services for the conveyance of postal packets to ROW offices of exchange for onward delivery to each country of the world other than countries within the European Union, where—

(a) the postal packet is conveyed to the ROW office of exchange within a period that is—

(i) reasonable; and

(ii) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 72;

(b) the service or services are capable of purchase by postage stamp and may be capable of purchase by other reasonable methods; and

(c) the service or services include provision of a Certificate of Posting on request if the postal packet is deposited at a post office.

Incoming European Union services

8.  One or more single piece services for the onward conveyance and delivery within the United Kingdom of postal packets collected from EU offices of exchange, where the postal packet is conveyed from the EU office of exchange to the delivery point within a period that is—

(a) reasonable; and

(b) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 3.

Incoming rest of world services

9.  One or more single piece services for the onward conveyance and delivery within the United Kingdom of postal packets collected from ROW offices of exchange, where the postal packet is conveyed from the ROW office of exchange to the delivery point within a reasonable period.

Article 5(1)(d)

SCHEDULE 2 Free end-to-end services

Legislative petitions and addresses

1.  A domestic postal service for the conveyance of legislative petitions and addresses within a reasonable period.

Meaning of eligible item in relation to services for blind or partially sighted persons

2.  In paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Schedule, “eligible items” are—

(a) books, papers and letters which are prepared for use by blind or partially sighted people;

(b) papers sent to anyone to be prepared or impressed so blind or partially sighted people can use them;

(c) relief maps;

(d) machines, frames and attachments for making impressions for blind or partially sighted people to use;

(e) writing frames and attachments for blind or partially sighted people to use;

(f) Braille instruction manuals;

(g) games (including card games) for blind or partially sighted people;

(h) mathematical appliances and attachments for blind or partially sighted people;

(i) recordings of readings from printed sources, such as books, journals, newspapers, periodicals or similar publications;

(j) equipment used to play such recordings;

(k) metal plates impressed or sent for impressing for use by blind or partially sighted people;

(l) supplies of covers, envelopes and labels for sending articles for use by blind or partially sighted people;

(m) watches, clocks, timers, tools and measuring equipment designed for blind or partially sighted people to use;

(n) walking sticks adapted for blind or partially sighted people;

(o) harnesses for guide dogs;

(p) computer disks and CDs which are prepared for blind or partially sighted people.

Domestic services for blind or partially sighted persons

3.—(1) A domestic postal service having a routing time of D + 1, for the conveyance of eligible items weighing up to 7 kilograms in aggregate per postal packet—

(a) to blind or partially sighted persons;

(b) from blind or partially sighted persons; or

(c) from organisations representing blind people or providing a service specifically designed for blind or partially sighted persons.

(2) The service required under sub-paragraph (1) does not include the conveyance of insured items.

International services for blind or partially sighted persons

4.—(1) The services described in sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) for the conveyance of eligible items to EU offices of exchange and ROW offices of exchange for onward conveyance to any country in the world other than the United Kingdom—

(a) to blind or partially sighted persons;

(b) from blind or partially sighted persons; or

(c) from organisations representing blind people or providing a service specifically designed for blind or partially sighted persons.

(2) The services required under sub-paragraph (1) do not include the conveyance of insured items.

(3) One or more services for the conveyance of postal packets weighing no more than 7 kilograms, where the postal packet is conveyed to the EU office of exchange or the ROW office of exchange (as the case may be) within a period that is—

(a) reasonable; and

(b) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 72;

(4) One or more services for the conveyance of postal packets weighing no more than 1 kilogram, where the postal packet is conveyed to the EU office of exchange or the ROW office of exchange (as the case may be) within a period that is—

(a) reasonable; and

(b) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 7;

(5) One or more services for the conveyance of postal packets weighing more than 1 kilogram and up to 7 kilograms to any territory not listed in paragraph 5, where the postal packet is conveyed to the EU office of exchange or the ROW office of exchange (as the case may be) within a period that is—

(a) reasonable; and

(b) compatible with a routing time for the provision of the end-to-end service of D + 7;

(6) A price may be charged by a universal service provider for the provision of a service falling within sub-paragraph (5) if the condition set out in sub-paragraph (7) is satisfied.

(7) The condition is that the price (“P”) for conveyance of the postal packet concerned were the postal packet to be conveyed in the provision of a service set out in paragraph 7(1) of Schedule 1 exceeds the price (“Q”) for conveyance of the postal packet were it to be conveyed in the provision of a service falling within paragraph 7(2) of that Schedule.

(8) The price that may be charged in accordance with sub-paragraph (6) is an amount not exceeding the difference between P and Q.

Territories

5.  The territories for the purposes of paragraph 4(5) are—

• Albania,

• Andorra,

• Armenia,

• Austria,

• Azerbaijan,

• Azores,

• Balearic Islands,

• Belarus,

• Belgium,

• Bosnia-Herzegovina,

• Bulgaria,

• Canary Islands,

• Corsica,

• Croatia,

• Cyprus,

• Czech Republic,

• Denmark,

• Estonia,

• Färoe Islands,

• Finland,

• France,

• Georgia,

• Germany,

• Gibraltar,

• Greece,

• Greenland,

• Hungary,

• Iceland,

• Irish Republic,

• Italy,

• Kazakhstan,

• Kirghizstan,

• Kosovo,

• Latvia,

• Liechtenstein,

• Lithuania,

• Luxembourg,

• Macedonia,

• Madeira,

• Malta,

• Moldova,

• Monaco,

• Montenegro,

• Netherlands,

• Norway,

• Poland,

• Portugal,

• Romania,

• Russia,

• San Marino,

• Serbia,

• Slovak Republic,

• Slovenia,

• Spain,

• Spitzbergen,

• Sweden,

• Switzerland,

• Tajikistan,

• Turkey,

• Turkmenistan,

• Ukraine,

• Uzbekistan,

• Vatican City State.

Article 5(1)(e)

SCHEDULE 3 Addressee services

Redirection services

1.—(1) One or more services for addressees providing that during a specified reasonable period all postal packets addressed to a named individual that are to be delivered by a universal service provider should be conveyed to a postal address other than that marked on the postal packet (“the redirection address”) within a reasonable period.

(2) This service is not required—

(a) where the redirection address is outside the United Kingdom and—

(i) the postal packet contains registered items or insured items; or

(ii) the postal packet exceeds 100 grams in weight, 240 millimetres in length, 165 millimetres in width or 25 millimetres in thickness;

(b) in relation to postal packets to a particular addressee or from a particular sender or class of sender, where the provision of the service in relation to those postal packets would create a substantial risk of crime;

(c) where the address marked on the postal packet or the redirection address relates to premises in relation to which it is reasonable not to provide the service; or

(d) where the redirection address is a delivery office or a post office.

Poste restante services

2.  One or more free of charge services for addressees, which provide—

(a) for the address of any specified post office in the United Kingdom to be used as an addressee’s postal address for a reasonable period, and

(b) for postal packets for that addressee to be held at that post office for a reasonable period for collection by the addressee, provided, in relation to any post office, that it is reasonable for the post office concerned to be used to provide the service.

Retention services

3.  One or more services for addressees which provide for a delay for a specified reasonable period to the target delivery date otherwise applicable to any postal packets.