Post Office

Royal Mail Group plc

ROYAL MAIL GROUP PLC SCHEME IL4/2006

[This note is not part of the Scheme]

Note: The Scheme that follows this Note is made under Section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000 and amends the Successor Postal Services Company Inland Letter Post Scheme 2001. This Scheme, which comes into force on 21 August 2006 provides notification of changes to services, postage rates and fees as a result of the introduction of Pricing in Proportion.

ROYAL MAIL GROUP PLC INLAND LETTER POST (AMENDMENT No 22) SCHEME 2006

Made...................................................................................................................................... 28 July 2006

Coming into operation...................................................................................................... 21 August 2006

Royal Mail Group plc(a) by virtue of the powers conferred upon it by section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000(b) and of all other powers enabling it in this behalf, hereby makes the following Scheme:

Commencement, citation and interpretation

1.  This Scheme shall come into operation on 21 August 2006 and may be cited as the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No.22) 2006.

2.  This Scheme shall be read as one with the Successor Postal Services Company Inland Letter Post Scheme 2001(c) (hereinafter called “the Scheme”) as amended by the Consignia plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.1) 2001,(d) the Consignia plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.2) 2001,(e) the Consignia plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.3) 2001,(f) the Consignia plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.4) 2002,(g) the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.5) 2002,(h) the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.6) 2003,(i) the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.7) 2003,(j) the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.8) 2003,(k) the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.9) 2004,(l) the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.10) 2004(m), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.11) 2004(n), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.12) 2004(o), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.13) 2004(p), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.14) 2004(q), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.15) 2005(r), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.16) 2005(s), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.17) 2005(t), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No. 18) 2005(u), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No. 19) 2006(v), the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.20) 2006(w) and the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No. 21) 2006(x).

3.  A reference in this Scheme to the Successor Postal Services Company shall be read as a reference to Royal Mail Group plc.

Paragraph 16. SIZE AND WEIGHT LIMITS

Paragraph 16.2 shall be deleted and replaced with the following:

16.2 There is no restriction on the weight of a letter sent First Class. A letter that exceeds 1kg in weight may not be sent Second Class

Paragraph 51. COMPENSATION FOR A LETTER OTHER THAN A SPECIAL DELIVERY LETTER

Paragraph 51.2 shall be deleted and replaced with the following

51.2 The maximum compensation the Post Office will pay if an ordinary letter or its contents are lost or damaged is 100 times the cost of a First Class stamp at its first size and weight step, or the market value of the letter at the time the cause of action arises, whichever is lower.

SCHEDULE 1 Postage Rates and Fees

Paragraphs 8 & 18 of Schedule 1 of the Scheme shall be deleted and replaced with the following:

8. FIRST AND SECOND CLASS POSTAGE RATES

FIRST CLASS

Payment Channel (p)
Format	Size	Weight (g)	Postage Stamp	Pre-paid Stationery Mark	Smart Stamp Mark	Franked Mark	Printed Postage Impression
Letters	Maximum 240 x 165mm 5mm thick	0-100	32	32	32	30	30
Large Letters	Maximum 353 x 250mm 25mm thick	0-100	44	44	44	41	41
101 - 250	65	65	65	61	61
251 - 500	90	90	90	85	85
501 -750	131	131	131	124	124
Packets	Over 353mm long or 250mm wide or over 25mm thick	0-100	100	100	100	94	94
101 - 250	127	127	127	120	120
251 - 500	170	170	170	160	160
501 - 750	220	220	220	207	207
751 - 1000	270	270	270	255	255
1001 - 1250	474	474	474	460	460
Each additional 250g or part thereof	85	85	85	83	83

SECOND CLASS

Payment Channel (p)
Format	Size	Weight (g)	Postage Stamp	Pre-paid Stationery Mark	Smart Stamp Mark	Franked Mark	Printed Postage Impression
Letters	Maximum 240 x 165mm 5mm thick	0-100	23	23	23	21	21
Large Letters	Maximum 353 x 250mm 25mm thick	0-100	37	37	37	33	33
101 - 250	55	55	55	49	49
251 - 500	75	75	75	68	68
501 -750	109	109	109	98	98
Packets	Over 353mm long or 250mm wide or over 25mm thick	0-100	84	84	84	79	79
101 - 250	109	109	109	102	102
251 - 500	139	139	139	131	131
501 - 750	177	177	177	163	163
751 - 1000	212	212	212	195	195

Please note that items heavier than 1000g cannot be sent Second Class

18. RESPONSE SERVICES

Service	Annual Licence Fee	Postage	Handling Charge
Response Services	£68.50	Applicable First or Second Class	1p
Bar-coded Response Services	£68.50	Applicable First or Second Class	None
Freepost Name	£166.00	Applicable First Class	10p
Response Service with Special Delivery (including maximum compensation up to £500)	£71.55	Applicable Special Delivery Charge	None
Response Service with Special Delivery (including maximum compensation up to £1000)	£71.55	Applicable Special Delivery Charge	None
Response Service with Special Delivery (including maximum compensation up to £2500)	£71.55	Applicable Special Delivery Charge	None

The £68.50 (Response Service and Bar-coded Response Service) and the £71.55 (Special Delivery) licence fees listed above apply where the total number of licences held by a person does not exceed 10. Thereafter, each additional licence will carry a fee of £36.50.

SCHEDULE 2 Definitions of Terms Used in this Scheme

The current definition of ‘LETTER’ shall be deleted and replaced with the following with effect from 29 April 2006.

LETTER

Any postal packet other than a postal packet posted, conveyed, delivered or otherwise dealt with using a parcel service.

For the purposes of assessing postage rates, Letters are separated into three categories as follows:

1.  Letter

Where the size of the letter does not exceed 240mm x 165mm and 5mm in thickness.

2.  Large Letter

Where the size of the letter does not exceed 353mm x 250mm and 25mm in thickness

3.  Packet

Any item which is more than 25mm in thickness, or longer than 353mm or wider than 250mm, or heavier than 750g, but is less than the maximum dimensions as defined in Paragraph 16.

Signed by:   John Rowley for and on behalf of Royal Mail Group plc.

(a) Royal Mail Group plc (a company registered in England and Wales under number 4138203) is a universal service provider as defined in section 4(3)(a) of the Postal Services Act 2000. Royal Mail Group plc is the successor postal services company referred to in article 37(1) of the Postal Service Act 2000. (Commencement No.4 and Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2001 (2001/1148 (C.37)). It changed its name from Consignia plc on 4 November 2002.

(b) 2000 c26

(c) The Post Office Inland Letter Scheme 2000 was amended, renamed the Successor Postal Services Company Inland Letter Post Scheme 2001and treated as made under section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000 by the article 37 of the Postal Services Act 2000 (Commencement No.4 and Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2001 (2001/1148(C37))

(d) The Edinburgh Gazette, 29 June 2001, issue number 25040

(e) The Edinburgh Gazette, 6 July 2001,issue number 25044

(f) The Edinburgh Gazette, 23 November, issue number 25124

(g) The Edinburgh Gazette, 28 June 2002, issue number 25246

(h) The Edinburgh Gazette, 17 January 2003, issue number 25358

(i) The Edinburgh Gazette, 2 May 2003, issue number 25419

(j) The Edinburgh Gazette, 21 November 2003, issue number 25535

(k) The Edinburgh Gazette, 19 December 2003, issue number 25551

(l) The Edinburgh Gazette, 26 March 2004, issue number 25603

(m) The Edinburgh Gazette, 16 April 2004, issue number 25616

(n) The Edinburgh Gazette, 24 September 2004, issue number 25708

(o) The Edinburgh Gazette, 8 October 2004, issue number 25716

(p) The Edinburgh Gazette, 22 October 2004, issue number 25724

(q) The Edinburgh Gazette, 17 December 2004, issue number 25756

(r) The Edinburgh Gazette, 18 February 2005, issue number 25788

(s) The Edinburgh Gazette, 1 April 2005, issue number 25812

(t) The Edinburgh Gazette, 1 April 2005, issue number 25812

(u) The Edinburgh Gazette, 15 July 2005, issue number 25873

(v) The Edinburgh Gazette, 24 March 2006 issue number 26014

(w) The Edinburgh Gazette, 21 April 2006, issue number 26030

(x) The Edinburgh Gazette, 9 June 2006, issue number 26058

28 July 2006.