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Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation
04 November 2025
Lead MP
Ashley Fox
Bridgwater
Con
Responding Minister
Blair McDougall
Tags
NHS
Word Count: 3741
Other Contributors: 8
At a Glance
Ashley Fox raised concerns about royal mail: universal service obligation in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government should work with Royal Mail to improve service quality and address staffing shortages. The Minister should liaise with his colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that every NHS organisation puts the NHS barcode on healthcare-related letters.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The postal service is a vital part of communities, especially for elderly or vulnerable people in rural areas. Constituents reported that only one in three households received daily deliveries, with some experiencing no delivery at all for more than two weeks. In North Petherton and Cossington, constituents had to travel to the sorting office in Bridgwater to collect their post personally.
Alex Mayer
Lab
Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
Residents face a long walk to the nearest post box, despite developer willingness. Requests for Royal Mail to consider putting new post boxes on unadopted roads.
Anneliese Dodds
Lab/Co-op
Oxford East
Suggested that local post workers are keen to innovate where they can, such as putting the NHS barcode on healthcare-related letters. Agreed with the need for liaison between the Minister and Department of Health.
Apsana Begum
Lab
Poplar and Limehouse
Acknowledged the role of unions in calling out senior leadership mismanagement and the need for Royal Mail to fix recruitment retention crisis. Highlighted the unregulated environment for parcel couriers like Amazon, which impacts Royal Mail's ability to deliver services.
Dorking and Horley
Noted that 20% of first-class mail was delivered late in some postcodes, with no service at all when the postlady was on holiday. Agreed that the Government must work with Royal Mail to improve service.
Daniel Francis
Lab
Bexleyheath and Crayford
Reported similar issues in Bexleyheath sorting office, including requests for help advertising vacancies. Suggested that Royal Mail should do more to fill route vacancies.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Complained about delays affecting elderly constituents, missing appointments, and facing fines from Government. Asked what else the Government could do to ensure Royal Mail is accountable.
Lizzi Collinge
Lab
Morecambe and Lunesdale
My constituents in rural areas rely on the postal service for essential information such as hospital appointments, but they are experiencing irregular and delayed deliveries.
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
Noted that posties in rural areas receive insufficient pay, leading to no deliveries in some areas. Suggested using flexibility to offer better pay to attract postal staff.
Government Response
Blair McDougall
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Government Response
Royal Mail's USO guarantees a uniform price for letter and parcel delivery six days a week across the UK. The Minister acknowledges the importance of postal services in rural areas and is working to roll out barcodes on NHS appointment letters to improve tracking. Ofcom has announced reforms to put the USO on a more sustainable footing. Changes include altering quality of service targets to ensure predictable delivery without delays. Royal Mail is recruiting 20,000 temporary workers for Christmas peak period. Government remains committed to ensuring accessible and affordable universal postal service.
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Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.