Review: Mail Integrity and Postal Common Operational Procedures : Call for inputs

Introduction

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications sector. Our principal duty for postal services, under the Postal Services Act 2011, is to carry out our functions in a way that we consider will secure the provision of a universal postal service.

After taking over responsibility for the regulation of postal services in the UK in October 2011, we published a consultation setting out our proposals on the future framework for the economic regulation of the postal sector (the ‘October 2011 consultation’). ^(-1-) After consideration of the responses to this consultation we published in March 2012 a statement (the ‘March 2012 statement’) ^(-2-) setting out the new regulatory framework to secure the universal postal service.

In the March 2012 statement we confirmed policy proposals regarding the Mail Integrity Code of Practice (‘MICOP’) and the Postal Common Operational Procedures Code of Practice (‘PCOP Code’), collectively referred to in this document as ‘the Codes’. In particular, we confirmed our intention to extend the scope of the Codes to include access mail ^(-3-) to ensure consistency of protection for any item at all points in the network. We considered that the increasing volume of access mail (items sent by customers using access services grew from 10% of total mail volumes in 2006 to 44% in 2012) ^(-4-) and the multi-operator market increased the importance of the PCOP Code to facilitate network interoperability. Furthermore, as access mail is injected into another network, the chance of mail going astray is increased; as access mail is generally of low intrinsic value, the financial incentive to ensure the security of mail may be reduced.

We also set out in the March 2012 statement that we would review the Codes before extending the scope of the Codes to cover access mail. This was in light of stakeholder responses to the October 2011 consultation which had raised concerns with specific provisions in the Codes (such as the reporting requirements) and the fact the effectiveness of the Codes had not been formally reviewed since their introduction in 2006.

This call for inputs follows some informal discussions with postal operators regarding issues associated with the Codes, and is the first formal stage of the review of the Codes. It will help us identify and better understand any issues with specific provisions, and the effectiveness, of the Codes before making formal proposals as part of a consultation.

Responses

Responder name	Type
Consumer_Focus.PDF (PDF File, 142.8 KB)	Organisation
CWU.pdf (PDF File, 240.9 KB)	Organisation
DX.pdf (PDF File, 121.2 KB)	Organisation
Royal_Mail_MICOP.pdf (PDF File, 281.9 KB)	Organisation
Royal_Mail_PCOP.pdf (PDF File, 625.2 KB)	Organisation

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