To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will have discussions with Royal Mail Group on the Board’s decision on the level of dividends and the potential impact on the Group’s financial position; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers and officials meet with Royal Mail regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the universal postal service provider. However, commercial matters including dividends are matters for Royal Mail’s management in which Government has no role.

Ofcom has the power and responsibility, under the Postal Services Act 2011, to regulate the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient UK universal postal service. It has in place a monitoring regime that seeks to identify any threats or risks to the universal postal service and it publishes an annual report summarising its monitoring programme on its website:

www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/information-for-the-postal-industry/monitoring_reports.