Royal-Mail-Sale - epetition response

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20387" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We received a petition asking:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to reject any part privatisation or minority stake sale of Royal Mail which could lead to loss of service, price hikes and would erode a much loved public service.”

Details of Petition:

“A petition to keep a much loved public service fully intergrated and wholly in the public sector.”


Read the Government’s response

Thank you for your e-petition.

The Government wants to secure the universal postal service and for Royal Mail to provide modern services to meet today’s customers’ needs. The Government commissioned an independent review of the postal services market from Richard Hooper which was published in December 2008. The purpose of the review was to assess the impact on Royal Mail, other carriers and consumers, of liberalisation of the UK postal services market, to explore trends in future market development and the likely impact of these and to consider how to maintain the universal service obligation in the future.

The Hooper report concluded that the status quo in the postal market was untenable and that if change did not occur, the universal service which is the cornerstone of the postal system would be under threat.

The Hooper review identified a number of key areas in which the Royal Mail is inefficient. These included expansion and diversification of products and services; its network structure of mail centres and delivery offices; and its existing working practices. What is needed now is real action from Royal Mail’s management and the unions to take forward Royal Mail’s transformation plans. These plans include the introduction of new machinery to sort the mail and some 27,000 handheld tracking devices have been issued to record the delivery of Special Delivery and other tracked mail.

The Secretary of State announced on 1 July that market conditions in the European postal sector have made it impossible to conclude the process to identify a partner on terms that we can be confident would secure value for the taxpayer. This has been a priority for the Government and it would be irresponsible to proceed unless we had such confidence that the taxpayer received a good deal.

There is, therefore, no prospect in current circumstances of achieving the objectives of the legislation the Government introduced to Parliament in March. However, the Government firmly believes that the implementation of all of the elements of the Hooper Review recommendations is the best way to secure Royal Mail’s future and to maintain the universal postal service. When market conditions change we will return to the issue.

[t-c]

What a bunch of useless tossers.

The sooner we disaffiliate from labour the better.

[johnston65]

I always find it amazing how the Liebour Government and Royal Mail Management only pick the bits they like out of agreements and reports like the Hooper Report..I don't hear them making a lot of noise for instance on the part of the Report which mentions overbearing management and how Royal Mails figures are not very transparent..but then again up here we all know why that is...

[steviemac]

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20387" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like they are still looking for a partner

[andy2007]

Are you surprised?
Sadly, I'm not. I expected a cop-out. But I am very dissapointed that the Press haven't got involved. I mean there's 12,478 signitures. Yet, they're still pressing ahead, as soon as it's financially viable.

Whatever happened to Parliament representing the Public?
Have they forgotten about Cromwell?
“we study the glory of god, and the honour and liberty of parliament, for which we unaminously fight, without seeking our own interests....i profess i could never satisfy myself on the justness of this war, but from the authority of the parliament to maintain itself in its rights; and in this cause i hope to prove myself an honest man and single-hearted.”

Oliver Cromwell to Colonal Valentine Walton. 5 or 6 September 1644.


Perhaps it would help, if they learned a bit about the History of Parliament, and the pitfalls of "feathering their own nests", at the expense of those they CLAIM to represent.