SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has said universal service obligations must be upheld and monitored as part of the approval by the UK Government to sell Royal Mail’s parent company.
The £3.6 billion sale of the International Distribution Services (IDS), to Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group, comes amid increased scrutiny of the service following failures to meet letter delivery target timeframes.
Said the Foyle MLA: “Royal Mail is in dire need of modernisation and I hope that much needed changes can be delivered under Křetínský’s ownership.
“However, it’s important that modernisation is not at the expense of letter deliveries.
“For the past few years the service has adopted an unofficial policy of prioritising more lucrative parcel deliveries over mail.
“As the universal postal service, Royal Mail’s obligations are set out in law which requires a six-day a week mail service and five-day a week delivery for parcels.
“We’ve not witnessed that level of delivery for quite some time. And despite promises that this would be addressed, I’m spoken with constituents this week who haven’t received any mail for almost a fortnight.
“Delays in letter deliveries may at a glance, appear a trivial matter but it’s one that is having a profound impact on people’s lives- from missed hospital appointments to lost housing offers.
“With the immense pressures on housing and healthcare, even a single delayed letter can trigger a domino effect, disrupting other essential services.
“Royal Mail’s repeated failures to meet service expectations and mail delivery targets have eroded public trust.
“Meanwhile poor working conditions continue to weigh heavily on staff.
“I wait with bated breath, hopeful that new ownership can address these long-standing issues.”
