Codes and policies

Under the Postal Services Act 2000 , we are required to set out - in the form of policy guidelines, codes of practice, or memoranda of understanding - how we deal with certain aspects of our work.

These aspects include:

  • How we run our consultation procedures. (More information on individual consultations is stored in the policy and consultations section of the site.)
  • How we work with Consumer Focus, the national consumer council.
  • Details of our policy on financial penalties. (This policy is to be reviewed soon. See related documents on the Postcomm - financial penalties consultation page.)
  • This section also includes information on the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's (BERR) policy in respect of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). BERR's policy position and delegation of responsibility to Royal Mail is set out in a letter from David Hendon (BERR) to Murray Buchanan (Royal Mail) dated 10 July 2008 (pdf, 788KB).

Codes and policies:

17 December 2008
 Memorandum of Understanding between Postcomm and Consumer Focus (pdf, 884KB)
3 October 2007
Postcomm's response to BERR's consultation on scope of redress schemes (pdf, 73KB) 
6 August 2007
Postcomm has published its first stand-alone document setting out enforcement procedures relating to possible licence contraventions. The guidance explains procedures likely to be followed by the postal regulator when it: considers complaints; investigates licensed operators; takes enforcement action and imposes financial penalties. Until now, these procedures have been set out in several Postcomm documents. The aim of bringing them together is to provide greater transparency, by setting out the general principles and approach involved in taking these actions in relation to possible licence contraventions. Full list of related documents.  
30 January 2006
Postcomm Whistleblower's Policy (pdf,74KB) 
13 December 2004 
Memorandum of understanding between Postcomm and the Office of Fair Trading (pdf, 42KB). Aims to promote cooperation and coordination between Postcomm and the Office of Fair Trading when dealing with cases of anti-competitive behaviour for which they have overlapping powers.
6 May 2004 
House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution report: "The regulatory state: ensuring its accountability" (external website). Makes a number of recommendations aimed at improving the accountability of regulators such as Postcomm.
16 February 2004 
Postcomm and Postwatch (pdf, 68KB). Note describing their different roles.
24 October 2003 
The REIMS agreement (pdf, 102KB). European Commission press notice announcing clearance of the REIMS agreement, under which European postal operators charge each other - and third parties - a fixed percentage of domestic letter prices to deliver incoming international mail. This percentage will rise to 78.5% by 2006.
27 June 2003 
Postcomm's effectiveness: a self-assessment (pdf, 90KB). Assesses Postcomm's behaviour and activities against a number of criteria set by various bodies, including the Public Accounts Committee and the Better Regulation Task Force.
11 June 2003 
House of Lords Constitution Committee Inquiry: Accountability of government appointed regulators (pdf, 151KB). Postcomm's submission to the inquiry.
26 July 2002 
Regulators publish statement on joint working. Eight economic regulators - the Civil Aviation Authority, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, the Office of Telecommunications, the Office of Water Services, the Office of the Rail Regulator, the Postal Services Commission, the Office for the Regulation of Electricity and Gas in Northern Ireland and the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland - have issued a statement on joint working on cross-industry issues. 
28 May 2002 
Approach to an efficiency review of economic regulators (pdf, 943KB). Paper from WS Atkins Planning and Management Consultants Ltd exploring the difficulties associated with assessing the efficiency of economic regulators like Postcomm.  
1 May 2002 
Memorandum of understanding between Postcomm and Postwatch (pdf, 144KB).
May 2002 
Information on how Postcomm performs its regulatory functions - includes a code of practice. 
25 February 2002 - decision document 
Financial penalties. A decision document and statement of policy. (This policy is currently being reviewed, with a consultation that started on 7 August 2007. All related documents are on the Postcomm - financial penalties consultation page.) 
30 January 2002 
Postal Services Commission. Efficiency review: final report. January 2002 (pdf, 943KB). Report from WS Atkins Planning and Management Consultants Ltd assessing Postcomm's efficiency and including a comparison with other regulators.  
31 July 2001 
Better Regulation Task Force report (external website). Recommendations on economic regulation that are to be taken into account by Postcomm in its day-to-day work.
29 June 2001 
Guidelines on best practice for the audit of economic regulation. Internal Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) working group on the audit of privatisation (external website).

This section does not include codes of practice prescribed by Postcomm, for example, the mail integrity code and the common operational procedures code, these can be found in the Policy and Consultations section.