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House of Commons

Session 2010 - 11 Internet Publications Other Bills before Parliament

Postal Services Bill

Postal Services Bill
EXPLANATORY NOTES
Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills, are published separately as Bill 78—EN.
EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Secretary Vince Cable has made the following statement under section 19(1)(a) of the
Human Rights Act 1998:
In my view the provisions of the Postal Services Bill are compatible with the
Convention rights.
Bill 78                                                                                                  55/1
Postal Services Bill
Contents
Part 1
Restructuring of Royal Mail group
Removal of existing statutory restrictions on ownership
1    Removal of restrictions on ownership of Royal Mail Holdings plc etc
Ownership of the Royal Mail
2    Report on decision to dispose of shares in a Royal Mail company etc
3    Employee share scheme
Ownership of the Post Office
4    Restrictions on issue and transfer of shares and share rights in a Post Office company etc
5    Report on transfer of interest in a Post Office company to a relevant mutual
6    Meaning of “Post Office company”
7    Meaning of “relevant mutual”
Transfer of property etc
8    Transfer schemes
9    Transfer of employees otherwise than under transfer scheme
10    Taxation provisions relating to re-structuring
Supplementary provisions
11    Annual report on post office network
12    Directions
Interpretation
13    Ownership of companies
14    Part 1: general interpretation
Bill 78                                                                                                  55/1
Postal Services Bill ii
Part 2
Royal Mail Pension Plan
Introduction
15    Introduction
Powers exercisable
16    Transfer of qualifying accrued rights to new public scheme
17    Division of the RMPP into different sections
18    Amendments of the RMPP
19    Protection against adverse treatment
20    Transfer of assets of the RMPP
21    Restriction on power to transfer assets
Supplementary provisions
22    Taxation
23    Information
24    Orders and regulations
25    Interpretation of Part 2
Part 3
Regulation of postal services
Postal services
26    Postal services, postal packets and postal operators
27    General authorisation to provide postal services
The universal postal service
28    Duty to secure provision of universal postal service
29    The universal postal service
30    Minimum requirements
31    Section 30: definitions
32    Exceptions to minimum requirements
33    Review of minimum requirements
Universal service providers
34    Designation of universal service providers
35    Designated USP conditions
36    Publication of information about performance
37    USP access conditions
38    USP accounting conditions
Persons providing services within scope of universal postal service
39    Services within scope of the universal postal service
40    General universal service conditions
Postal Services Bill iii
41    Recovery of administrative charges incurred by OFCOM
Financial support for universal postal service
42    Review of costs of universal service obligations
43    Fairness of bearing burden of universal service obligations
44    Contributions for meeting burden
45    Report on sharing mechanism
Postal operators generally
46    Notification by postal operators
47    Essential conditions
48    General access conditions
49    Consumer protection conditions
50    Provision that may be made by consumer protection conditions
General provisions
51    Imposition, modification or revocation of regulatory conditions
52    Enforcement of regulatory requirements
53    Information
54    General restriction on disclosure of information
Appeals
55    Decisions by OFCOM to impose regulatory conditions, penalties etc
56    Appeals from the CAT
57    Price control decisions
58    Section 57: supplementary
Supplementary and consequential provisions
59    Duties in relation to social and environmental matters
60    UK postage stamps bearing image of Her Majesty
61    Orders, schemes and regulations made by OFCOM
62    Abolition of Postal Services Commission etc
63    Interpretation of Part 3 etc
64    Transitional provisions for Part 3
65    Review of Part 3
Part 4
Special administration regime
Postal administration orders
66    Postal administration orders
67    Objective of a postal administration
68    Applications for postal administration orders
69    Powers of court
70    Postal administrators
71    Conduct of administration, transfer schemes etc
Postal Services Bill iv
Restrictions on other insolvency procedures
72    Winding-up orders
73    Voluntary winding up
74    Making of ordinary administration orders
75    Administrator appointments by creditors etc
76    Enforcement of security
Financial support for companies in administration
77    Grants and loans
78    Indemnities
79    Guarantees where postal administration order is made
Modifications of regulatory conditions etc
80    Regulatory powers exercisable during postal administration
81    Regulatory conditions to secure funding of postal administration order
Supplementary provisions
82    Modification of Part 4 under Enterprise Act 2002
83    Interpretation of Part 4
84    Partnerships
85    Northern Ireland
86    Review of Part 4
Part 5
General
87    Orders and regulations made by Ministers of Crown
88    Minor definitions
89    Minor and consequential amendments
90    Financial provisions
91    Short title, commencement and extent
Schedule 1   —    Transfer schemes
Schedule 2   —    Taxation provisions relating to re-structuring etc
Schedule 3   —    Further provision about access conditions
Part 1   —
Provision that may be made by access conditions
Part 2   —
Resolution of access disputes by OFCOM
Schedule 4   —    Recovery of administrative charges incurred by OFCOM
Schedule 5   —    Approval of redress schemes
Schedule 6   —    Imposition, modification or revocation of regulatory
conditions
Schedule 7   —    Enforcement of regulatory requirements
Schedule 8   —    Information provisions
Part 1   —
Requirements to provide information to OFCOM
Part 2   —
Enforcement
Part 3   —
Supplementary provisions
Postal Services Bill v
Schedule 9   —    Transitional provisions for Part 3
Schedule 10   —    Conduct of postal administration
Part 1   —
Modifications of Schedule B1 to 1986 Act
Part 2   —
Further modifications of Schedule B1 to 1986 Act: foreign
companies
Part 3   —
Other modifications
Schedule 11   —    Postal transfer schemes
Schedule 12   —    Minor and consequential amendments
Part 1   —
Postal Services Act 2000
Part 2   —
Communications Act 2003
Part 3   —
Other enactments

© Parliamentary copyright 2010	Revised 13 October 2010

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