Explanatory note

This Order amends the Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/936)(the “principal Order”).

Ofcom’s Review of postal users’ needs - An assessment of the reasonable needs of users in relation to the market for the provision of postal services in the United Kingdom (27th March 2013) is available to the public from OFCOM’s website at http://www.ofcom.org.uk or from the OFCOM library at Riverside House, 2A Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA (Tel: 020 7981 3000).

Article 3 of this Order removes unused defined terms.

Articles 3, 4 and 6 change the way in which the term “working day” is used, and limit its use to the calculation of routing times.

The maximum weight and minimum and maximum dimensions of postal packets required to be dealt with as part of the statutory minimum universal postal service are set out in section 33(1) of the Postal Services Act 2011 (the “Act”) and limitations on the statutory minimum universal postal service are set out in section 33(3) of the Act. Articles 5 and 7 of this Order apply these limits to postal packets in relation to all the services described in the principal Order.

Articles 8 and 9 respectively amend the description of the “priority” and “standard” services in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Schedule 1 of the principal Order to require Certificates of Posting to be provided free of charge and to omit the prohibition of tracking.

Article 10 sets limits of size for postal packets required to be conveyed as part of the “return to sender” service described in Schedule 1 paragraph 5 of the principal Order.

Articles 11 to 14 change the descriptions of outgoing international services.

Regulations 15 to 17 amend requirements in the principal Order relating to services for the blind and partially sighted by removing requirements to provide free of charge registered items, requiring Certificates of Posting to be provided free of charge and removing provisions which allowed a charge to be made for international services to certain territories.

Article 18 amends the definition of redirection services to cover any addressee.

Articles 19 and 20 set limits of size for postal packets in relation to certain services described in Schedule 3 paragraphs 2 and 3 of the principal Order.

A full regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this Order will have on the costs to business is available to the public from OFCOM’s website at http://www.ofcom.org.uk or from the OFCOM library at Riverside House, 2A Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA (Tel: 020 7981 3000). Copies of this assessment have also been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament.