The Postal Services Commission, known as Postcomm, was a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom charged with overseeing the quality and universal service of post in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2000 under the Postal Services Act 2000. Postcomm was merged into the communications regulator Ofcom on 1 October 2011.
Most of Postcomm's role involved regulating Royal Mail (for letter delivery and to guarantee a universal postal service) and its two subsidiaries, Post Office Ltd and Parcelforce. Postcomm was also charged with the licensing of the UK's postal operators. It was set up alongside a 'sister' organisation, Postwatch, an independent watchdog for postal services. Postwatch became part of Consumer Focus on 1 October 2008.
In May 2008, Postcomm called for the part-privatisation of Royal Mail to safeguard the universal service. Following the Hooper Report into the future of the postal services industry, in October 2010, Business Secretary Vince Cable confirmed plans for the privatisation of up to 90% of the business and the possible mutualisation of the Post Office. Any purchasing business will be required to retain the universal service of collection and delivery of mail six days a week at affordable prices. Royal Mail staff are to be offered the remaining 10% shares with the Government to take on the group's pension liabilities. The changes were enabled by the Postal Services Act 2011. As part of the plans, the roles fulfilled by Postcomm were absorbed into the communications regulator Ofcom from 1 October 2011.
Read more about Postal Services Commission: Statutory Basis
Famous quotes containing the words postal, services and/or commission:
“none
Thought of the others they would never meet
Or how their lives would all contain this hour.
I thought of London spread out in the sun,
Its postal districts packed like squares of wheat:”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1985)
“A good marriage ... is a sweet association in life: full of constancy, trust, and an infinite number of useful and solid services and mutual obligations.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“Children cannot eat rhetoric and they cannot be sheltered by commissions. I don’t want to see another commission that studies the needs of kids. We need to help them.”
—Marian Wright Edelman (20th century)