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UK Parliament

Postal Services Bill Committee announce programme

9 November 2010 (updated on 10 November 2010)

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This week the Postal Services Bill Committee will hear oral evidence. Next week the committee will begin to consider the Bill line by line on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 November and must complete consideration no laer than 5pm on Thursday 9 December.

Key areas of the Bill

  • Part 1 of the Bill allows for an unrestricted sale of shares in Royal Mail, including provisions for an employee share scheme, and for Post Office Ltd to remain in full public ownership except for a possible move to a mutual ownership structure in future.
  • Part 2 makes provision to transfer the Royal Mail pension deficit to the Government.
  • Part 3 alters the regulatory regime for the postal services sector, including transferring regulatory responsibility from Postcomm to OFCOM, with the primary duty of OFCOM in relation to postal services being to maintain the universal service.
  • Part 4 provides for a special administrative regime to protect the continuation of the universal postal service should a privately owned Royal Mail (or other universal provider) be at risk of entering insolvency proceedings.

Programme and Witnesses

Evidence sessions will be held in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House

Tuesday 9 November

at 10.45am

  • Royal Mail

at 12 noon

  • Communication Workers Union (CWU), Unite and National Federation of Subpostmasters

at 4pm

  • Ofcom and Postcomm

at 5pm

  •  Mail Users’ Association and Mail Competition Forum

at 6pm

  •  Mutuo, Employee Ownership Association and ifs ProShare

Thursday 11 November  

at 9am

  • Consumer Focus and Association of British Credit Unions Limited

at 9.55am

  • Royal Mail Pension Plan Trustees

at 1pm

  • Richard Hooper CBE, Chair of the independent review of the UK postal services sector

at 2pm

  • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Line by line scrutiny of the Bill will be held in Committee Room 9 of the Palace of Westminster on;

  • Tuesday 16 November 10.30am and 4.00pm
  • Thursday 18 November 9.00am and 1.00pm
  • Tuesday 23 November 10.30am and 4.00pm
  • Thursday 25 November 9.00am and 1.00pm
  • Tuesday 30 November 10.30am and 4.00pm
  • Thursday 2 December 9.00am and 1.00pm
  • Tuesday 7 December 10.30am and 4.00pm
  • Thursday 9 December 9.00am and 1.00pm

The Committee must complete consideration of the Bill no later than 5pm on Thursday 9 December.

The meetings are open to the public.

The Scrutiny Unit can help with any queries about oral evidence.

Further Information

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