Speech

Queen's Speech: Postal Services Bill

Notes on the Postal Services Bill proposed in the 2010 Queen's Speech.

From:
Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and Her Majesty the Queen
Published
25 May 2010
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
Delivered on:
(Speaker's notes, may differ from delivered version)

The purpose of the bill

  • the bill would seek to tackle the fundamental and longstanding problems facing Royal Mail.
  • the Bill would enable an injection of private capital, along with other measures, to help Royal Mail and ensure the provision of the universal postal service

The main benefits of the bill

  • safeguarding the future of the Royal Mail and the Post Office network
  • giving employees a secure future and consumers and businesses a service they can continue to depend on

The main elements of the bill

  • enabling the disposal of shares in the Royal Mail to third parties that could raise equity for reinvestment in the business
  • recognising the important social and economic role played by post offices in communities throughout the UK - Post Office Limited will therefore remain in public ownership
  • measures to resolve the problems surrounding Royal Mail’s pension deficit
  • potential changes to the regulatory framework for postal services
  • exploring options for employee engagement at Royal Mail, to enable management and the workforce to work together to meet Royal Mail’s significant challenges and enable all to share in its future success

Existing legislation in this area

  • Postal Services Act 2000

Devolution

The bill would apply to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Postal Services are a reserved area.

Updates to this page

Published 25 May 2010