Royal Mail
Post Office
Royal Mail Group Ltd
ROYAL MAIL GROUP LTD SCHEME IL2/2008
Explanatory Note: 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 comes into force on 1 August 2008.
End of Explanatory Note
ROYAL MAIL GROUP LTD INLAND LETTER POST (AMENDMENT No 25) SCHEME 2008
| Made | 24 July 2008 |
| Coming into operation | 1 August 2008 |
Royal Mail Group Ltd (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 7 April 2008 and may be cited as the Royal Mail Group Ltd Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No.25) 2008.
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),
the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.21) 2006(x),
the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.22) 2006(y),
the Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.23) 2007(z). and,
the Royal Mail Group Ltd Inland Letter Post Scheme Amendment (No.24) 2008(aa).
3. A reference in this Scheme to the Successor Postal Services Company shall be read as a reference to Royal Mail Group Ltd.
ROYAL MAIL GROUP LIMITED
SUCCESSOR POSTAL SERVICES COMPANY INLAND LETTER POST SCHEME 2001 (AS AMENDED) - CONSOLIDATED VERSION (AMENDMENT NO. 25)
EXPLANATORY NOTES (THESE NOTES ARE NOT PART OF THE SCHEME)
(1) The Scheme which follows these notes was originally made by the Post Office under section 28 of the Post Office Act 1969 and was then called the “Post Office Inland Letter Post Scheme 2000”.
(2) This Scheme was made on 4 April 2000 and came into operation on 27th April 2000 when it replaced:
(a) the Post Office Inland Letter Post Scheme 1989 (Post Office Scheme L1/1989); and
(b) all Schemes which amended that Scheme.
(3) By virtue of article 37(1) and (2) of The Postal Services Act 2000 (Commencement No.4 and Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2001 (referred to in these notes as Commencement Order No.4), the Scheme may be cited as the “Successor Postal Services Company Inland Letter Post Scheme 2001” and continued in force after 26 March 2001 as if made by the successor postal services company (namely Royal Mail Group Ltd. - see 4 below) under section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000.
(4) The “Successor Postal Services Company” is defined in Commencement Order No. 4 as meaning the company which carries on the Business of providing postal services which was formerly carried on by the Post Office. That company was incorporated under company number 4138203 and was called Consignia plc on 26th March, 2001. Its present name is Royal Mail Group Limited.
(5) The Scheme as set out below includes the following amendments to it:
(a) Consignia plc Inland Letter Post (Amendment No. 1) Scheme 2001 IL1/2001
(b) Consignia plc Inland Letter Post (Amendment No. 2) Scheme 2001 IL2/2001
(c) Consignia plc Inland Letter Post (Amendment No. 3) Scheme 2001 IL3/2001
(d) Consignia plc Inland Letter Post (Amendment No. 4) Scheme 2002 IL3/2002
(e) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 5) Scheme 2002 IL3/2002
(f) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post (Amendment No. 6) Scheme 2003 IL3/2003
(g) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post (Amendment No. 7) Scheme 2003 IL3/2003
(h) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 8) Scheme 2003 Il2/2003
(i) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 9) Scheme 2004 IL1/2004
(j) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 10) Scheme 2004 IL2/2004
(k) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 11) Scheme 2004 IL3/2004
(l) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 12) Scheme 2004 IL4/2004
(m) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 13) Scheme 2004 IL5/2004
(n) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 14) Scheme 2004 IL6/2004
(o) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 15) Scheme 2005 IL1/2005
(p) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 16) Scheme 2005 IL2/2005
(q) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 17) Scheme 2005 IL3/2005
(r) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 18) Scheme 2005 IL4/2005
(s) (s) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 19) Scheme 2006 IL1/2006
(t) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 20) Scheme 2006 IL2/2006
(u) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 21) Scheme 2006 IL3/2006
(v) Royal Mail Group plc Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 22) Scheme 2006 IL4/2006
(w) Royal Mail Group Ltd Inland Letter Post Scheme ( Amendment No. 23) Scheme 2007 IL1/2007
(x) Royal Mail Group Ltd. Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No 24) Scheme 2008 IL1/ 2008
(y) Royal Mail Group Ltd., Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 25) Scheme 2008 IL2/ 2008 - the scheme following this Explanatory Note.
(6) In sections 10.1.2, 13.3, and 19 of this Scheme, a reference to Parliament shall be read as including a reference to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales or the Northern Ireland Assembly;
(7) Anything that was agreed, approved, prescribed or specified for the purposes of this Scheme by the Post Office shall be treated as being agreed, approved, etc. by the successor postal services company; and
(8) Reference in this Scheme to a Scheme made under section 28 of the Post Office Act 1969 shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be read as including a reference to a Scheme made, or treated by virtue of Commencement Order No. 4 as made, under section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000.
End of Explanatory Notes
CONTENTS
PART 1
Introduction
1. Commencement, revocation and citation
2. Application
3. Interpretation
4. Discretion to provide services under this Scheme
PART 2
General Conditions for Posting a Letter
5. First and Second Class Letters
6. Forwarding a Letter
7. A Letter which does not meet Royal Mail conditions
8. Undeliverable and Reposted Letters
9. Packing
10. Paying postage and fees
11. Postage rates and fees
12. Postcodes
13. Posting
14. Postage Stamps Postmarks and Marks
15. Prohibitions and restrictions
16. Size and weight limits
17. Underpaid or unpaid postage and fees
PART 3
Special Conditions
18. Special conditions for postal services
19. Addresses and petitions to the Sovereign and petitions to Parliament
20. Admail
21. Articles for the Blind
22. Business Collection
23. Business Retention
24. Caller’s Service
25. Diversion
26. Floor Fees
27. Keepsafe
28. PO Box
29. Poste Restante
30. Deleted
31. Private Post Box
32. Private Roadside Letter Box
33. Recorded
34. Redirection
35. Deleted
36. Deleted
37. Deleted
38. Response Services (Business Reply, Freepost, Freepost Admail and Freepost Name)
39. Selectapost
40. Special Delivery
41. A Letter treated as sent by Special Delivery
41A. Local Collect
PART 4
A Letter sent between the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
42. General
43. Special fees for certain Letters sent from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
44. Customs clearance for an incoming Letter
45. A Letter held in bond
46. Compensation for a Letter sent to or from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
47. A Business Reply or Freepost Letter to and from the Channel Islands
48. A Business Reply Letter to and from the Isle of Man
49. A Freepost or unaddressed Letter to and from the Isle of Man
PART 5
Liability and Compensation
50. A Letter for which Royal Mail accepts liability
51. Compensation for a Letter other than a Special Delivery Letter
52. Compensation for a Special Delivery Letter
SCHEDULES
Schedule 1: Postage Rates and Fees
Schedule 2: Definitions of Terms Used in this Scheme
Schedule 3: Nature and Extent of Compensation Payments for Loss, Part Loss and Damage.
PART 1
Introduction
1. COMMENCEMENT, REVOCATION AND CITATION
1.1 This Scheme was made under section 28 of the Post Office Act 1969 and came into operation on 27 April 2000. Together with the Post Office’s Scheme for Franking Letters and Parcels 2000 it revoked and replaced the Post Office Inland Letter Post Scheme 1989 (Post Office Scheme L1/1989) and all published amendments to that Scheme.
1.2 Royal Mail may (and has) amended this Scheme from time to time “Amendments”. Future Amendments will be published in The London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes.
1.3. This Scheme is now known as the Successor Postal Services Company Inland Letter Post Scheme 2001 and the text set out herein is that Scheme (as previously amended and as further amended by this Amendment which is the Royal Mail Group Ltd. Inland Letter Post Scheme (Amendment No. 25) Scheme 2008 IL2/ 2008.
2. APPLICATION
2.1 This Scheme sets out Royal Mail’s conditions for:
2.1.1 accepting a Letter posted in the United Kingdom for delivery to an address in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man;
2.1.2 accepting a Letter sent from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for delivery to an address in the United Kingdom;
2.1.3 providing other services in connection with inland Letter post and Letter post sent between the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
3. INTERPRETATION
3.1 The definition of terms used in this Scheme is set out in Schedule 2 to this Scheme.
3.2 Any reference in any other Scheme or in any document issued by or under the authority of the Post Office or Royal Mail to a provision of any earlier version of the Inland Letter Post Scheme should be interpreted as a reference to the relevant provision of this Scheme and/ or the Franking Scheme as appropriate.
4. DISCRETION TO PROVIDE SERVICES UNDER THIS SCHEME
4.1 Royal Mail may provide the postal services referred to in this Scheme for such times, during such periods, at such Post Office(R) branch and at such other locations in such ways and in such circumstances as it may in its discretion decide.
4.2 Royal Mail may withdraw any service in the event of misuse or a breach of the conditions of use or damage to Royal Mail’s reputation.
PART 2
General Conditions for posting a Letter
5. FIRST AND SECOND CLASS LETTERS
5.1 A Letter which complies with the applicable conditions of this Scheme except for a Special Delivery Letter will be sent:
5.1.1 First Class if the relevant amount of postage set out in paragraph 8 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme has been paid, or if the Sender has entered into an agreement with Royal Mail to pay that amount of postage;
5.1.2 Second Class if the relevant amount of postage set out in paragraph 8 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme has been paid, or if the Sender has entered into an agreement with Royal Mail to pay that amount of postage; or
5.1.3 Second Class if insufficient postage for First Class, but more than sufficient postage for Second Class, has been paid.
5.2 Royal Mail aims to deliver a Letter sent First Class the next Working Day after posting and to deliver a Letter sent Second Class within three Working Days after posting.
5.3 Valuables must not be sent by First Class or Second Class. Valuables must be sent using the Special Delivery service in accordance with the conditions set out in section 40 of this Scheme.
6. FORWARDING A LETTER
6.1 A recipient of a Letter (except a Business Reply, Freepost, Special Delivery or Recorded Letter) may forward it from its original address to another address in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man by writing or printing the new address on the Cover or envelope of the Letter and re-posting the Letter. A Letter may only be forwarded in this way to the original Addressee.
6.2 Except in the circumstances set out in section 6.3 below, Royal Mail will not charge additional postage or fees for forwarding a Letter that has been re-posted in accordance with section 6.1 above.
6.3 Royal Mail will charge additional postage and any applicable fee for forwarding a Letter if it has been opened before being re-posted, or the name of the original Addressee is covered or obscured, or it is forwarded by a Business or a person acting on behalf of a Business. Royal Mail may charge an additional fee to be fixed by Royal Mail from time to time, to forward a Letter.
6.4 Royal Mail may at its discretion deliver to the Addressee or return to the Sender a Letter which has been forwarded and which bears a Special Delivery or Recorded label. In either case Royal Mail will charge the Addressee or Sender additional postage and/or a fee to be fixed by Royal Mail from time to time.
6.5 In any case where Royal Mail considers that a Letter has been forwarded to evade payment of postage it may treat it as an unpaid Letter in accordance with section 17 of this Scheme.
6.6 Royal Mail can be required under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (“the Acts”) not to deliver items of Social Security Post which have been forwarded or redirected to a new address, but to return them to the Sender. Royal Mail is required under the Acts to provide information about the redirection of Social Security Post to persons specified in the Acts.
7. A LETTER WHICH DOES NOT MEET ROYAL MAIL CONDITIONS
7.1 Royal Mail may refuse to accept a Letter that does not meet the conditions set out in this Scheme or may treat it as undeliverable in accordance with section 8 of this Scheme.
7.2 If a Letter does not meet the conditions of the service paid for, Royal Mail may convey it using a different service. In these circumstances, the postage, fees and conditions of the service by which the Letter is conveyed will apply, but Royal Mail’s liability under this Scheme may not apply. This provision applies to a Letter which has been posted or found on Post Office (R) branch or Royal Mail premises which appears to be intended for posting.
8. UNDELIVERABLE AND RE-POSTED LETTERS
8.1 Royal Mail may decide not to deliver a Letter which it considers impracticable or unreasonable to deliver. Such a Letter is referred to in this Scheme as undeliverable.
8.2 Royal Mail may consider a Letter to be undeliverable if it is of the opinion that:
8.2.1 the address is unsafe or insecure or if no delivery point has been provided, or if access to the delivery point has been prevented or impeded;
8.2.2 the address to which the Letter is to be delivered is not permanently occupied;
8.2.3 the Letter is not fully and correctly addressed in a manner which includes all the elements of the postal address (including the full postcode), written clearly on the front or on a label securely attached to the front of the cover or envelope (or otherwise in a manner such that the address is clearly visible in its entirety as if it had been written on the front of the Cover or envelope),
8.2.4 the address is illegible;
8.2.5 the health and safety of any individuals may be put at risk; or
8.2.6 for any other reason, Royal Mail forms the opinion that it is impracticable or unreasonable to deliver the Letter.
8.3 Royal Mail may, at its discretion, return a Letter to Sender from the delivery address, if it is re-posted by the Addressee or any other person for any reason and the return address is written correctly and legibly on the Cover or envelope and is an address in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
8.4 Where a Letter is undeliverable and:
8.4.1 the Sender’s name and address in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands of the Isle of Man are legible on the Cover or envelope, Royal Mail may return the Letter to the Sender unopened;
8.4.2 the Letter was originally posted as a Franked Letter or with a Printed Postage Impression and the Sender’s name and address are (a) not on the Cover or envelope, or (b) they are illegible, or (c) the Sender’s name and address are on the Cover or envelope but the address is outside the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, then the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail;
8.4.3 the Letter was not originally posted as a Franked Letter or with a Printed Postage Impression and the Sender’s name and address are (a) not on the Cover or envelope, or (b) they are illegible, then the Letter may be opened. If the name and address of the Sender are inside, the address is in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or Isle of Man, and the Letter does not consist solely of advertising material, newspapers or magazines, then the Letter may be returned to the Sender. Otherwise the Letter may be disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
8.5 Section 8.4 does not apply to an Electoral Letter. If such a Letter is undeliverable, Royal Mail may:
8.5.1 if the Sender’s name and address in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man are legible on the Cover or envelope, return it to the Sender unopened; or
8.5.2 if the Sender’s name and address are not on the Cover or envelope, or if the Sender’s address is not in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, or if they are illegible, the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
8.6 Royal Mail will not charge any additional postage or fee for returning an undeliverable Letter but the Sender may have to pay any other fees that apply. If any applicable fee is not paid, the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
9. PACKING
9.1 A Letter must be packaged and sealed such that, in the opinion of Royal Mail, damage or harm will not be caused to other Letters, equipment, or individuals.
9.2 A Letter must be in a suitably and reasonably strong Cover or envelope appropriate to its contents, and must be sealed or fastened securely (unless it is an article for the blind posted under the provisions of section 21 of this Scheme where the item does not need to be sealed or fastened).
9.3 Anything enclosed in the Letter must be packaged so as to provide protection against damage.
9.4 A breakable item must be packaged in a strong container with enough packaging material to protect the item against pressure and knocks. The Letter must be marked with the words “FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CARE” in capital letters on the Cover or envelope above the address.
9.5 An item that may be damaged by bending must be packaged in a strong container that will prevent the item from being bent. The Letter must be marked with the words “DO NOT BEND” in capital letters on the Cover or envelope above the address
9.6 If a Letter contains an item that is likely to perish or decay, the Letter must be marked with the words “PERISHABLE” in capital letters on the Cover or envelope above the address
9.7 Restricted items must be packed in accordance with further packaging requirements referred to in section 15.2 of this Scheme
9.8 Packaging must comply with any other requirements published by Royal Mail.
9.9 The address must not be obscured or made difficult to read in any way including by the manner in which the contents are enclosed in the Letter.
9.10 A Letter must not have on its envelope or Cover:
9.10.1. anything which obscures the postage stamp or Mark;
9.10.2 anything which is likely, in Royal Mail’s opinion, to make it difficult for Royal Mail to apply a Postmark to the Cover or envelope;
9.10.3 anything which, in Royal Mail’s judgement, is likely to make the Postmark illegible;
9.10.4 any counterfeit or fake postage stamp or Mark;
9.10.5 any postage stamp or Mark which Royal Mail considers may have previously been used to pay postage;
9.10.6 signs, words or Marks, used without official permission, which could indicate that the Letter was sent on Her Majesty’s Service or was conveyed and delivered by Royal Mail; or
9.10.7 any signs, words, Marks or designs which are offensive, obscene or indecent.
9.11 A Letter must not be made up in any way or have anything on its Cover or envelope which, in the judgement of Royal Mail, makes it difficult or embarrassing to deliver the Letter.
9.12 A postage stamp or Mark must not be attached to a Letter using staples, sticky tape, or any other means that Royal Mail does not approve.
9.13 A postage stamp or Mark must be placed in the top right hand corner on the front of the Cover or envelope of a Letter unless Royal Mail specifies otherwise.
10. PAYING POSTAGE AND FEES
10.1 Postage and fees must be paid in advance before a Letter is posted, unless:
10.1.1 the Letter is a Response Services Letter in respect of which a licensee has paid or agreed to pay postage in accordance with section 38 of this Scheme;
10.1.2 the Letter contains or consists of an address, electoral Letter or petition to the Sovereign or either House of Parliament and is posted in accordance with the conditions set out in section 19 of this Scheme;
10.1.3 the Letter contains Articles for the Blind and is posted in accordance with the conditions set out in section 21 of this Scheme;
10.1.4 the Letter is re-posted to be forwarded in accordance with sections 6.1 and 6.2 of this Scheme or to be returned to Sender in accordance with section 8.3 of this Scheme.
10.1.5 the Sender has entered into a credit agreement or other arrangement for payment of postage with Royal Mail.
10.2 Deleted
10.3 the Sender must demonstrate with respect to each Letter posted that postage has been paid, or that the Sender has entered into an arrangement with Royal Mail for postage to be paid, on the Letter. To demonstrate such payment or arrangement, a postage stamp or Mark must be fixed, printed, impressed, embossed or otherwise marked on the Cover or envelope of the Letter, or the Letter must be marked in any other way Royal Mail may approve.
10.4 Neither a Postage Stamp nor Mark may be used to demonstrate payment of Postage or to demonstrate that the Sender has entered into an arrangement with Royal Mail for Postage to be paid on a Letter if it is damaged or imperfect, has been defaced, or if it has anything written or printed over it. An adhesive postage stamp which is perforated with initials by means of a punch may be used for those purposes, provided that the perforation holes are smaller than the holes dividing one stamp from another on a sheet of stamps.
10.5 A Postage Stamp or Mark that has already been used to pay postage, or to demonstrate that the Sender has entered into an arrangement with Royal Mail to pay Postage, cannot be re-used for those purposes.
11. POSTAGE RATES AND FEES
11.1 Postage rates for delivery of a Letter within the United Kingdom are set out in Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
11.2 Royal Mail may change Postage rates from time to time. A change to Postage rates and the date on which the changed rates will come into effect will be published in advance of the change in The London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes.
11.3 Royal Mail may charge fees (which may be in addition to any Postage that may be payable) for use of the postal services set out in this Scheme. Royal Mail may change the rate of any fees from time to time.
12. POSTCODES
Postcodes are allocated by Royal Mail at its discretion throughout the United Kingdom in accordance with the operational needs of Royal Mail’s network of mail centres. The codes are routing codes and Royal Mail may amend them at its discretion.
13. POSTING
13.1 A Letter, except one to which sections 13.3 to 13.5 apply, must be posted in one of the following ways:
13.1.1 by placing it in a Post Box;
13.1.2 by placing it in a Private Post Box (see section 13.2 below);
13.1.3 by handing it to an authorised member of staff at a Post Office (R) branch or mail centre;
13.1.4 by Business Collection; or
13.1.5 in any other manner which Royal Mail may approve.
13.2 A Letter placed in a Private Post Box will be deemed to have been posted when collected by Royal Mail and not before.
13.3 A petition and an address to the Sovereign or Parliament, an electoral Letter, a Recorded Letter, and a Special Delivery Letter must be posted:
13.3.1 by handing to an authorised member of staff at a Post Office(R) branch or mail centre;
13.3.2 by Business Collection; or
13.3.3 in any other manner which Royal Mail may approve.
13.4 A Franked Letter must be posted in accordance with the conditions set out in the Franking Scheme, unless the Letter is being sent using the Recorded service or the Special Delivery service, when section 13. 3 shall apply.
13.4.1 For the avoidance of doubt, Royal Mail will treat any Franked Letters posted by a third party as being pre-paid for the purposes of section 7(2)(h) of the Postal Services Act 2000.
13.5 A Letter bearing a postage paid impression must be posted in accordance with the conditions set out in any relevant licence.
13.6 Deleted.
13.7 For mail which is posted with a Printed Postage Impression, Royal Mail will require not less than 24 hours’ prior notice of any posting of a large volume of mail (which means 4,000 or more letters and/ or 1,000 or more packets) or of a larger volume of mail than that usually posted by the sender under any arrangements he has with Royal Mail (which means an additional 4,000 or more letters and/or an additional 1,000 or more packets). This notice must be given in the manner specified by Royal Mail from time to time. If this notice is not received, the posting will not be processed for despatch on the day of posting. For the purposes of this section 13.7 only, “letter” means a letter which is no larger than 240 millimetres x 165 millimetres and which is no thicker than 5 millimetres and no thinner than 0.25 millimetres in size and which weighs no more than 100 grammes and a “packet” means any letter which is larger or heavier than this but is otherwise within the size and weight limits for a letter as set out in paragraph 16 of this Scheme.
14. POSTAGE STAMPS POSTMARKS AND MARKS
14.1 Royal Mail may itself use and authorise others to use any Postage Stamp or Mark, impression, sticker, label or other device it considers suitable (including Postmarks incorporating advertisements or postal information), to indicate payment of postage and fees, to cancel postage stamps or for any other postal purpose it considers appropriate.
14.2 Royal Mail may apply a Postmark to a Cover or envelope in any manner which it considers appropriate for postal purposes.
14.3 Royal Mail may also charge a fee (to be fixed by Royal Mail from time to time) for cancelling Postage Stamps with a special Postmark, or for applying a Postmark which incorporates an advertisement.
15. PROHIBITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS
15.1 A Letter must not contain any of the following items (and Royal Mail will not accept liability for a Letter that contains any of the following):
15.1.1 aerosols;
15.1.2 alcoholic liquids with alcohol content higher than 70 per cent;
15.1.3 asbestos;
15.1.4 batteries that are classed as dangerous goods by the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Instructions;
15.1.5 butane lighters and refills;
15.1.6 clinical and medical waste;
15.1.7 flammable and non-flammable, toxic compressed gases;
15.1.8 corrosives;
15.1.9 counterfeit money or counterfeit postage stamps;
15.1.10 drugs of any description, except those permitted under section 15.2 below;
15.1.11 dry ice;
15.1.12 environmental waste;
15.1.13 explosives;
15.1.14 filth;
15.1.15 flammable liquids or solids;
15.1.16 lottery tickets (except for United Kingdom lottery tickets);
15.1.17 indecent, obscene or offensive material;
15.1.18 UN 2814 or UN 2900 infectious substances as classified at Division 6.2 of the 2005 - 2006 Edition Technical Instructions for Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air published by ICAO ( the International Civil Aviation Organisation);
15.1.19 magnetised material with a magnetic field strength of 0.159A/metre or more at a distance of 2.1 metres from the outside of the package;
15.1.20 matches;
15.1.21 oxidising materials or organic peroxides;
15.1.22 pesticides;
15.1.23 toxic liquids, solids or gases;
15.1.24 poisons;
15.1.25 all radioactive material and samples that are classified as radioactive using Table 2-12 of the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Technical Instructions;
15.1.26 weapons of war, except as permitted by section 15.2.5 below,
15.1.27 ammunition;
15.1.28 solvent-based paints, varnishes and enamels;
15.1.29 water-based paints, varnishes and enamels in volumes greater than 150 millilitres;
15.1.30 any imitation of a bank note which is for the time being legal tender in the country of issue,
15.1.31 any other item prohibited by law or listed as prohibited in this Scheme or that in the opinion of Royal Mail may be harmful or dangerous or a risk to health and safety..
15.2 A Letter containing any of the following items may be posted provided that the Sender meets all Royal Mail’s requirements for acceptance of the item, including, but not limited to, packaging requirements:
15.2.1 alcoholic liquids with an alcohol content lower than 70 per cent;
15.2.2 batteries, other than those prohibited in section 15.1
15.2.3 battery operated goods, excluding the batteries if prohibited under 15.1
15.2.4 drugs sent in emergencies for medical or scientific purposes;
15.2.5 guns for sporting use;
15.2.6 UN 3373 Diagnostic substances as classified at Division 6.2 of the 2005-2006 Edition Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, published by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), only if they meet in full the packaging instructions as set out in Royal Mail’s Packaging Requirements for Diagnostic Specimens.
15.2.7 living creatures;
15.2.8 magnetised materials, other than those prohibited under section 15.1
15.2.9 water-based paints, varnishes and enamels in volumes less than 150 millilitres;
15.2.10 perishable goods;
15.2.11 all radioactive material and samples that are not classified as radioactive using Tables 2-12 of the latest edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Technical Instructions;
15.2.12 vaccines;
15.2.13 over the counter medicines and prescription medicines (including but not limited to inhalers of a volume of 50ml or less), provided these are being supplied lawfully, with Royal Mail ‘s prior written approval (which may be subject to conditions, including as to the type of medicines that may be sent, how, when, by whom to whom) and subject to such items being sent in suitable tamper proof or similar packaging as required in terms of the packing requirements as set out at section 9, and must be sent by Special Delivery or Recorded Delivery only.
16. SIZE AND WEIGHT LIMITS
16.1 A Letter must comply with the size and weight limits set out below. Where a Letter exceeds these limits, Royal Mail may:
16.1.1 convey the Letter using a different service from the one paid for by the Sender and in those circumstances the Postage, fees and conditions of that service will apply;
16.1.2 refuse to accept the Letter; or
16.1.3 return the Letter to the Sender, and in any of these circumstances, Royal Mail’s liability under this Scheme may not apply.
16.2 There is no restriction on the weight of a Letter sent First Class. A Letter which exceeds 1000g in weight may not be sent Second Class.
16.3 The maximum size of a Letter must not exceed 610mm in length or 460mm in width or 460mm in depth. For a roll shaped Letter the length plus twice the diameter may not exceed 1.04m with the greatest dimension being no more than 900mm.
16.4 The minimum thickness for a Letter is 0.25mm. Royal Mail may refuse to accept or to deliver a Letter that is less than 0.25mm thick.
17. UNDERPAID OR UNPAID POSTAGE AND FEES
17.1 Where the amount of postage and/or fee paid in respect of a Letter is less than the amount payable under this Scheme, or where no postage or fee has been paid, Royal Mail may:
17.1.1 deliver the Letter to the address;
17.1.2 allow the Addressee or someone on the Addressee’s behalf to collect it from a specified office;
17.1.3 return the Letter to the Sender;
17.1.4 treat the Letter as undeliverable in accordance with section 8 of this Scheme; or
17.1.5 otherwise deal with or dispose of the Letter at the discretion of Royal Mail.
17.2 In each case set out in section 17.1 Royal Mail may first retain the Letter for as long as it considers necessary.
17.3 Royal Mail may require the Addressee or Sender to pay an amount to be fixed by Royal Mail before the Letter is delivered or released for collection. The amount due may include a surcharge in addition to the underpaid or unpaid postage. Where the amount due is not paid the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
PART 3
Special Conditions
18. SPECIAL CONDITIONS FOR POSTAL SERVICES
18.1 The general conditions set out in sections 5 to 17 of this Scheme must be complied with in addition to the special conditions set out in this part of this Scheme, except where the general condition is inconsistent with the special condition in which case the special condition applies.
18.2 Royal Mail may impose terms and conditions in relation to the provision and use of postal services in addition to those set out in this Scheme where it considers it necessary or appropriate to do so. Such terms and conditions may be contained in application forms, licences, or any other document issued or authorised for issue by Royal Mail and shall be deemed to form part of this Scheme. Any such additional terms or conditions will be subject to the provisions of this Scheme.
18.3 Deleted
19. ADDRESSES AND PETITIONS TO THE SOVEREIGN AND PETITIONS TO PARLIAMENT
19.1 Provided that the conditions in this section, and any other applicable conditions of this Scheme are complied with, Royal Mail will accept and deliver free of charge:
19.1.1 an address or petition to the Sovereign;
19.1.2 a petition addressed to a member of either House of Parliament.
19.2 For the purposes of section 19.1, an address to the Sovereign is a formal signed written representation or appeal in respect of any concern or grievance for which no other constitutional remedy is readily available.
19.3 For the purposes of section 19.1, a petition is a signed document intended to be presented to the Sovereign or Parliament asking for action to be taken on a particular issue.
19.4 Royal Mail will accept a Letter consisting of an address or petition for free delivery on condition that:
19.4.1 it is a signed original and not a copy;
19.4.2 it is within Royal Mail size limits;
19.4.3 it does not weigh more than two kilograms;
19.4.4 it is packed so that contents can easily be inspected;
19.4.5 any of ‘ADDRESS TO HM THE QUEEN’, ‘PETITION TO HM THE QUEEN’, ‘PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS’ or ‘PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF LORDS’ are clearly marked on the cover or envelope in capital letters; and
19.4.6 it does not enclose any other item.
19.5 An address, petition or Electoral Letter must be posted in accordance with section 13.3 of this Scheme.
19.6 Royal Mail will not accept a Letter for free delivery which Royal Mail does not consider to contain a genuine address or petition.
19.7 Postage must be prepaid in the normal way on a Letter, not containing an address to the Sovereign or petition which is addressed to the Sovereign, a Member of Parliament or a government department or employee, (including any Letter with “On Her Majesty’s Service” or “OHMS” written on the Cover or envelope).
19.8 In this Scheme, an Electoral Letter is a Letter sent in accordance with the provisions of Section 91 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as amended by the Representation of the People Act 1985.
20. ADMAIL
20.1 The Admail service is a redirection service which enables a Business to receive Letters at an address (“a Delivery Address”) different from that which appears on the Cover or envelope (“an Admail Address”). This is called the Admail service.
20.2 A Business wishing to use the Admail service must enter into an Admail Agreement (“the Agreement”)
20.3 The Agreement authorises a Business to use on its outer Cover or envelopes an Admail Address issued by Royal Mail. The Agreement may contain conditions as to payment by a Business for use of the service and other terms and conditions.
20.4 Agreements are available for periods of 30, 60, 90, 180 or 365 days.
20.5 The Admail Service may be used in conjunction with Response Services (see section 38 below). When it is used in conjunction with Response Services it is called Freepost Admail.
20.6 Except where the Admail service is used in conjunction with Response Services, the Sender must affix a stamp to the Letter.
20.7 A Business using the Admail service must specify a Delivery Address (which must be in the United Kingdom) to which the Letter is to be delivered.
20.8 An Admail Letter must be addressed in the terms specified in the Agreement.
20.9 Royal Mail may terminate the Agreement, or impose a surcharge on the delivery of an Admail Letter, if it is found that the conditions of the Agreement and/or the conditions set out in this Scheme have been broken.
20.10 Royal Mail has the right to disclose the full name and address of the Business using the Admail service and/or the full name and address of delivery to anyone requesting the information and to terminate the Agreement in the event of misuse.
20.11 The fees applicable to the Admail service are shown in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
21. ARTICLES FOR THE BLIND
21.1 Provided that the conditions in this section and any other applicable conditions of this Scheme are met, Royal Mail will accept and deliver free of charge, by First Class, a Letter containing Articles for the Blind. This is called the Articles for the Blind service.
21.2 In this Scheme, ‘blind people’ and ‘the blind’ means:
21.2.1 persons registered as blind under the provisions of the National Assistance Act 1948; or
21.2.2 persons whose standard of close-up vision, with spectacles, is N12 or less.
21.3 In this Scheme, ‘Articles for the Blind’ means:
21.3.1 books, papers and Letters which are specifically prepared for use by blind people;
21.3.2 papers sent to anyone to be specially prepared or impressed so that blind people can use them;
21.3.3 relief maps;
21.3.4 machines, frames and attachments for making impressions for blind people to use;
21.3.5 writing frames and attachments; or
21.3.6 raille instruction manuals.
21.4 In this Scheme, ‘Articles for the Blind’ also means:
21.4.1 games (including card games);
21.4.2 mathematical appliances and attachments;
21.4.3 ‘talking books’ and ‘talking newspapers’, which are recordings of readings from printed sources, such as books, journals, newspapers, periodicals or similar publications;
21.4.4 equipment used to play talking books and newspapers;
21.4.5 metal plates impressed or sent for impressing for use by blind people;
21.4.6 supplies of Covers, envelopes and labels for sending articles for use by blind people;
21.4.7 watches, clocks, timers, tools and measuring equipment designed for blind people to use;
21.4.8 walking sticks adapted for blind people;
21.4.9 harnesses for guide dogs; or
21.4.10 computer disks and CDs which have been prepared for blind people and do not contain information which can be read without specially prepared encryption software.
21.5 The articles listed in section 21.4 may only be sent using the Articles for the Blind service to blind persons by organisations or institutions which have a special arrangement with Royal Mail, or by blind persons to such organisations or institutions.
21.6 A Letter to be sent using the Articles for the Blind service must comply with the following conditions:
21.6.1 it must weigh less than 7kg;
21.6.2 the words ‘ARTICLES FOR THE BLIND’ and the Sender’s name and address must be clearly marked on its Cover or envelope;
21.6.3 it must have a Cover or envelope that can easily be removed so that Royal Mail may inspect its contents; and
21.6.4 it must not contain any item or personal message which is not an article for the blind, with the exception of a label showing the name and address of the Sender, and instruction booklets, guarantees, technical documentation and other information provided for use with an article for the blind.
21.7 Standard or large print items may not be sent using the Articles for the Blind service unless, in the reasonable opinion of Royal Mail, they fall within the definition of Articles for the Blind and, in particular, the items listed in section 21.3.1 of that definition.
21.8 Royal Mail may open and inspect the contents of a Letter marked as containing articles for the blind
22. BUSINESS COLLECTION
22.1 Royal Mail may on application by a Business collect a Letter for posting from that Business’s premises. This is called the Business Collection service.
22.2 Royal Mail makes regular collections on weekdays (Public and Bank Holidays excepted) and may by arrangement also collect on Saturdays and Sundays. Royal Mail may also make one-off collections by arrangement. Except in case of one-off collections, Royal Mail provides this service for periods of one year.
22.3 Royal Mail will make Business Collections from the ground floor of the address occupied by the Sender, or from the nearest floor to the ground floor, if the Sender’s address is not on the ground floor.
22.4 The fee for Business Collection is charged per collection point and is shown in paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
23. BUSINESS RETENTION
23.1 Royal Mail may on application by a Business retain a Letter addressed to that Business for a specified period. At the end of the retention period Royal Mail will deliver the Letter as addressed. This is called the Business Retention service (also known as Business Keepsafe).
23.2 The maximum period Royal Mail will retain a Recorded or a Special Delivery Letter is 7 and 21 days respectively. The maximum period Royal Mail will retain any other Letter is two months.
23.3 The fee for the Business Retention service is shown in paragraph 4 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
23.4 Royal Mail may on application by a Business retain a Letter addressed to that Business free of charge for a period of up to five Working Days over the Christmas and Easter periods, and for a period of up to three Working Days over Public or Bank Holidays.
24. CALLER’S SERVICE
24.1 Royal Mail may permit an Addressee of a Letter, which would otherwise be delivered to the address shown on it, to collect it from the delivery office local to the address. This is called the Caller’s service. This service does not apply to items of Social Security Post which are subject to the provisions of section 24.5 of this Scheme.
24.2 The Addressee may only collect a Letter by visiting the local delivery office in person, during normal opening hours and requesting an authorised member of staff to check whether the office is holding a Letter for delivery to the Addressee.
24.3 Royal Mail may charge an Addressee a fee for checking whether the office is holding a Letter. A fee may be charged for withholding a Letter from delivery so that it may be collected from the delivery office. The fees for the Caller’s service are shown in paragraph 5 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
24.4 Royal Mail may refuse to permit the collection of a Letter and may deliver it as addressed if it is not satisfied of the identity of the person collecting it.
24.5 Royal Mail can be required under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to return to the Sender items of social security post which would otherwise be forwarded or redirected to the Addressee at a new address. Where these provisions apply, Social Security Post cannot be collected using the Caller’s service.
25. DIVERSION
25.1 Royal Mail may on application divert all or some of the Letters addressed to a Business from one specified Business address in the United Kingdom to another Business address in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. This is called the Diversion service.
25.2 The maximum period for which Royal Mail will divert a Letter from a PO Box address is 15 months.
25.3 The fee for the Diversion service is shown in paragraph 7 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
26. FLOOR FEES
26.1 Royal Mail normally delivers a Letter to, or in the case of a Business Collection, collects a Letter from, the ground floor of the address, or the nearest floor to the ground floor if the customer’s address is not on the ground floor.
26.2 A person may apply to have a Letter delivered to or collected from a different floor from the normal floor for delivery. The fee for this service is shown in paragraph 9 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
27. KEEPSAFE
27.1 Royal Mail may on application by an individual retain a Letter addressed to a residential address for a specified period. At the end of the retention period all Letters will be delivered as addressed. This is called the Keepsafe service.
27.2 The maximum period Royal Mail will retain a Recorded or Special Delivery Letter is 7 and 21 days respectively. The maximum period Royal Mail will retain any other Letter is two months.
27.3 The fee for the Keepsafe service is shown in paragraph 10 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
28. PO BOX
28.1 The PO Box service is available on application to any person with a permanent address in the United Kingdom. The PO Box will be held at the delivery office that serves the customer’s permanent address given for the PO Box.
28.2 The maximum number of PO Boxes per permanent address shall be subject to operational capability.
28.3 The service is available for a six or 12 month period.
28.4 A PO Box may be used with an abbreviated address which only gives details of the PO Box number, the Post town and Postcode.
28.5 The following services are available for an additional fee:
28.5.1 a Letter may be delivered from the PO Box to the customer’s permanent address;
28.5.2 a Letter addressed to the customer’s permanent address may be delivered to the PO Box;
28.5.3 the customer may collect a Letter from a PO Box outside the normal opening hours of the delivery office (subject to local operational constraints).
28.6 Letters must be collected from the PO Box at least once per month. A Letter may not be collected on days when Royal Mail does not deliver Letters. Royal Mail may treat an uncollected Letter as undeliverable in accordance with section 8 of this Scheme.
28.7 Royal Mail has the right to disclose the full address of the user of the PO Box to anyone requesting the information.
28.8 The fee for the PO Box service is shown in paragraph 11 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
28.9 Where more than one PO Box exists in respect of any permanent address Royal Mail shall not be obliged to sort mail according to each of the PO Boxes and all such mail shall be bundled together for collection or delivery as the customer shall specify.
28.10 Royal Mail can be required under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to return to the Sender items of Social Security Post which would otherwise be forwarded or redirected to the Addressee at a new address. Where these provisions apply, Social Security Post not addressed to a PO Box address cannot be forwarded to a PO Box.
29. POSTE RESTANTE
29.1 A Letter may be sent to a specified Post Office(r) branch for collection by the Addressee. This is called the Poste Restante service. This service may only be used to send a Letter to travellers except where Royal Mail decides otherwise.
29.2 The words ‘To be called for’ or ‘Poste Restante’ and the full and correct surname for the Addressee of the Letter must be clearly marked on the Cover or envelope of the Letter.
29.3 Royal Mail may refuse to hand over a Letter if it is not satisfied as to the identity of the person collecting the Letter.
29.4 A Letter sent Poste Restante may be collected from the specified Post Office(r) branch during normal opening hours.
29.5 A Letter will not normally be kept for more than:
29.5.1 14 days for an inland Letter;
29.5.2 one month for a Letter from overseas; or
29.5.3 two months for a Letter addressed to a Post Office (Rr) branch at a sea port for someone arriving on a ship.
29.6 Royal Mail may refuse to keep a Letter for collection:
29.6.1 where, in the opinion of Royal Mail, the Sender is not entitled to use or is misusing the Post Restante service, for example where the Addressee has a permanent residential or Business address in the area;
29.6.2 where the Addressee’s name is abbreviated or (in the reasonable belief of Royal Mail) false; or
29.6.3 where the Letter is addressed to a Post Office(Rr) branch which does not provide the Poste Restante service.
29.7 If a Letter is not collected within the period shown in section 29.5 the Letter will be treated as undeliverable in accordance with section 8 of this Scheme.
30. Deleted.
31. PRIVATE POST BOX
31.1 A Private Post Box is a post box which is not owned or maintained by Royal Mail but which Royal Mail has authorised for use in accordance with this section.
31.2 Royal Mail may collect Letters which have been placed in a Private Post Box for posting.
31.3 Each Private Post Box must meet all Royal Mail conditions including, but not limited to, conditions as to size, appearance, design, location, structure and dimensions. Royal Mail may refuse to collect a Letter from any Private Post Box which does not meet its conditions. Royal Mail may also refuse to collect a Letter from any Private Post Box for health and safety reasons.
31.4 Collections will be made from each Private Post Box each weekday (Public and Bank Holidays excepted). Collections may be made on Saturdays if the location at which the Private Post Box is situated is open for Business. If the location at which the box is situated is open for Business on Sundays, and in the opinion of Royal Mail collections are required, collections may be made on Sundays.
31.5 A Letter placed in a Private Post Box will be deemed to have been posted only when it has been collected by Royal Mail.
31.6 The fees for the collection of Letters from a Private Post Box are shown in paragraph 12 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
32. PRIVATE ROADSIDE LETTERBOX
32.1 In certain areas, Royal Mail may allow a Letter to be delivered to a Private Roadside Letterbox, provided that the Letterbox provides a secure delivery point and meets Royal Mail’s specifications.
32.2 A Letter that requires a signature or payment on delivery will not be delivered to a Private Roadside Letterbox. The Letter will be held by a local office specified by Royal Mail. Royal Mail will notify the Addressee of this and the Addressee may collect the Letter during the specified office’s normal opening hours.
32.3 Royal Mail may require a Private Roadside Letterbox to be installed if a delivery address is only accessible via a private road or if Royal Mail considers that the conditions at an address are dangerous to employees or vehicles.
32.4 Royal Mail may refuse to deliver a Letter to an address at which a Private Roadside Letterbox has not been installed if it has required a Private Roadside Letterbox to be installed. In those circumstances the Letter may be held at a local office specified by Royal Mail and the Addressee may collect the Letter during the specified office’s normal opening hours. If uncollected for a period in excess of 3 weeks the Letter may be treated as undeliverable in accordance with section 8 of this Scheme.
32.5 The fees for the use of Private Roadside Letterboxes are shown in paragraph 13 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
33. RECORDED
33.1 The Sender of a Letter using the Recorded service must pay Postage at the appropriate First or Second Class rate and the Recorded fee set out in paragraphs 8 and 15 respectively of Schedule I to this Scheme.
33.2 A Letter to be sent using the Recorded service must be posted in accordance with section 13.3 of this Scheme.
33.3 The Recorded label must be completed in full and attached in the position specified by Royal Mail to the Cover or envelope of the Letter.
33.4 If a Letter with a Recorded label attached to it is found on Royal Mail premises which has not been posted in accordance with the conditions set out in this section, the Letter will either be delivered to the address or returned to the Sender as a Recorded Letter. In either case the recipient will be charged a fee to be fixed by Royal Mail from time to time. Any postage that may have been paid will be accepted as either part or full payment of the fee.
33.5 If a Recorded Letter is returned to the Sender in the circumstances set out in section 33.4 of this Scheme, and the Sender pays any fee payable, the Letter will be delivered, if deliverable, to the Addressee.
33.6 If a Recorded Letter is delivered to the address in the circumstances set out in section 33.4 of this Scheme, and the recipient fails to pay the fee payable, the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
33.7 On delivery of a Recorded Letter the recipient must sign and print their name on a prescribed form to confirm its delivery. Where such a receipt is not obtained, the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
33.8 The Sender of a Recorded Letter may request Royal Mail at any time up to 12 months after delivery of the Letter to provide the Sender with a copy of the signature of the recipient of the Letter obtained on its delivery. This service is called Proof of Delivery. The fee for Proof of Delivery is shown in paragraph 14 of Schedule 1to this Scheme.
33.9 The fees applicable to the Recorded service are shown in paragraph 15 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
34. REDIRECTION
34.1 Royal Mail may on application by an Addressee redirect a Letter from one specified address within the United Kingdom to another in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. This is called the Redirection service.
34.2 Royal Mail may refuse to provide the Redirection service to anyone who cannot provide proof of identity and/or authorisation and/or proof, satisfactory to Royal Mail, that they have occupied the address from which a Letter is to be redirected.
34.3 Royal Mail may redirect a Letter addressed to a deceased person on application by the executor named in the will of the Addressee or by any other person Royal Mail considers has authority to deal with the Addressee’s estate. Royal Mail may require a person making such an application to provide proof satisfactory to Royal Mail of their authority to deal with the Addressee’s estate and may refuse to redirect Letters if no such proof is provided.
34.4 The fee for the Redirection service is shown in paragraph 16 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
34.5 Royal Mail can be required under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (the Acts) not to redirect a Letter of Social Security Post to a new address, but to return it to Sender. Royal Mail is also required under the Acts to provide information about the redirection of Social Security Post to persons specified in the Acts.
35. Deleted
36. Deleted
37. Deleted
38. RESPONSE SERVICES (BUSINESS REPLY, FREEPOST, FREEPOST ADMAIL AND FREEPOST NAME)
38.1 Response Services are services whereby Royal Mail authorises a Business to provide others with cards, folders, Letter cards, envelopes or labels which may be used to post a Letter to a specified address without prepayment of postage. Such a Letter is referred to in this Scheme as a Response Service Letter.
38.2 Response Services include Business Reply, Freepost, Freepost Admail and Freepost Name services.
38.3 Businesses wishing to use a Response Service must have a Response Services Licence. “Licence” in this section means a Response Services Licence and “licensee” in this section means the holder of a Response Services Licence.
38.4 A licence authorises the licensee to use the Response Service specified in the licence. A licence may contain conditions as to payment by the licensee for use of the Response Service (which may include a requirement to pay a deposit or make advance payment) and other terms or conditions.
38.5 A licence will be granted for a period of one year.
38.6 Separate licences must be obtained for each Response Service required, except that the use of Business Reply and Freepost services may be authorised by the same licence. Separate licences are also required for barcoded and non-barcoded Response Services.
38.7 The licensee must specify an address (which must be in the United Kingdom) to which the Response Service Letter is to be delivered. A licence may specify more than one address to which a Letter may be sent. The address or addresses specified will be recorded in the licence. A licensee may apply to add other addresses to the licence from time to time.
38.8 A licence will specify for each address the terms in which the Response Service Letter is to be addressed. A Response Service Letter provided by the licensee for use and all Response Service Letters posted must be addressed in accordance with the terms specified in the licence.
38.9 The Freepost Name service enables persons to receive a Letter at an address (a “Delivery Address”) different from that which appears on the Cover or envelope (“a Freepost Name Address”). A Freepost Name must be chosen by the holder of the Response Services licence and agreed by Royal Mail. A Freepost Name Letter must be addressed in accordance with the terms specified in the Response Services licence.
38.10 Unless the licence provides otherwise, the licensee must provide Royal Mail with a specimen of each pre-printed card, folder, Letter card, envelope, Cover or label to be used under the licence and must obtain Royal Mail’s approval to the layout, design, specifications and other details of that specimen. A Response Service Letter must meet the specifications of the specimen approved by Royal Mail.
38.11 A licence fee for each address recorded in the licence must be paid annually. In the first year the fee must be paid before the licence is granted. After the first year the fee is payable on every anniversary of the date on which the licence was granted.
38.12 If an address is added to an existing licence, the fee payable will be a proportion of the annual fee calculated pro rata to the proportion of the licence period that remains unexpired at the time the address is added. The fee for adding an address is payable on the date the address is added, and the pro-rata charge is calculated on a weekly basis.
38.13 In addition to any licence fee, the licensee must pay postage on any Response Service Letter delivered to the specified address together with a handling fee per Letter.
38.14 The licensee may request that a Response Service Letter is delivered by the first delivery on a particular day on which Royal Mail usually makes more than one delivery. If this option is chosen Royal Mail will charge an additional fee (a “first delivery option fee”) for each Letter.
38.15 No handling fee or first delivery option fee will be charged for delivery of a Response Service Letter which has a bar-code approved by Royal Mail affixed or printed onto the Cover or envelope, in a position approved by Royal Mail.
38.16 Royal Mail may withdraw a licence, or impose a surcharge on the delivery of a Response Services Letter, if it is found that the conditions of the licence and/or the conditions set out in this Scheme have been broken.
38.17 If a licence is withdrawn or cancelled, Royal Mail may refuse to refund any part of the licence fee.
38.18 Royal Mail has the right to disclose the full name and address of a licensee authorised to use a Response Service and the Delivery Address in the case of Freepost Name and Freepost Admail to anyone requesting the information and to withdraw the licence in the event of misuse.
38.19 Response Services (excluding Freepost Name and Freepost Admail) may be used in conjunction with the Special Delivery service.
38.20 The fees applicable to Response Services are shown in paragraph 18 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
39. SELECTAPOST
39.1 Royal Mail may on application by a person agree to pre-sort Letters prior to delivery in accordance with a specification provided by the person and approved by Royal Mail. This is called the Selectapost service.
39.2 Where Royal Mail provides this service, it will deliver Letters in clearly identifiable bundles or bags with the normal Letter delivery.
39.3 Royal Mail may, on payment of an additional fee, deliver bundles or bags directly to specified points at an address.
39.4 An agreement for the use of the Selectapost service must be for a minimum period of one year and may be renewed on a quarterly or annual basis.
39.5 If it is not clear from the address on a Letter how it should be pre-sorted in accordance with the agreed specification, the Letter will, together with other Letters which cannot be pre-sorted and packets, be delivered in a separate bundle or bag.
39.6 Royal Mail may refuse to provide the Selectapost service if it is not possible for operational reasons to provide it at a particular address.
39.7 The fee for the Selectapost service is shown in paragraph 19 of Schedule 1 of this Scheme and must be paid quarterly in advance.
39.8 The entry requirements for this service are:
39.8.1 an average of less than 6,000 items per day;
39.8.2 fewer than 25 selections - including a residue selection.
39.9 Letters and flats will be sorted by Royal Mail to the appropriate selection but packets will only be sorted to a residue selection.
40. SPECIAL DELIVERY
40.1 A Letter sent as a Special Delivery Letter in accordance with the conditions set out in this section will be delivered by a time or date specified by Royal Mail at the time of posting. In the event of failure to deliver by the specified date or time, section 52.3 of this Scheme will apply. This is called the Special Delivery service.
40.2 A Letter to be sent using the Special Delivery service must be posted in accordance with section 13.3 of this Scheme.
40.3 The Special Delivery label must be completed in full and attached in the position specified by Royal Mail to the Cover or envelope of the Letter.
40.4 A Letter weighing more than 10kg may not be sent by Special Delivery.
40.5 On delivery of a Special Delivery Letter the recipient must sign and print their name on a prescribed Royal Mail form or any other device supplied by Royal Mail to record such details to confirm its delivery. Where such a receipt is not obtained, the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
40.6 Valuables must be sent using the Special Delivery service.
40.7 If a Letter with a Special Delivery label attached to it is found on Royal Mail premises which has not been posted in accordance with the conditions set out in this section, the Letter will either be delivered to the Addressee or returned to the Sender as a Special Delivery Letter. In either case the recipient will be charged a fee to be fixed by Royal Mail from time to time. Any postage that may have been paid will be accepted as either part or full payment of the fee.
40.8 If a Special Delivery Letter is returned to the Sender in the circumstances set out in section 40.7 of this Scheme, and the Sender pays any fee payable, the Letter will be delivered, if deliverable, to the Addressee.
40.9 If a Special Delivery Letter is delivered to the Addressee in the circumstances set out in section 40.7 of this Scheme, and the recipient fails to pay the fee payable, the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
40.10 Special Delivery may be used together with Response Services subject to compliance with the general and special conditions contained in this Scheme and any Response Services licence.
40.11 The fees for the Special Delivery service are shown in paragraph 20 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
40.12 The compensation provisions applicable to Special Delivery Letters are shown in Section 52 of this Scheme.
40.13 The Sender of a Special Delivery Letter may request Royal Mail at any time up to 12 months after delivery of the Letter to provide the Sender with a copy of the signature of the recipient of the Letter obtained on its delivery. This service is called Proof of Delivery. The fee for Proof of Delivery is shown in paragraph 14 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
41. A LETTER TREATED AS SENT BY SPECIAL DELIVERY
41.1 Royal Mail may treat a Letter as a Special Delivery Letter, which has not been posted in accordance with the conditions governing the Special Delivery service set out in section 40, where:
41.1.1 it has ‘Special Delivery’ written on it, or anything which suggests that the Letter is intended to be sent via Special Delivery; or
41.1.2 it is discovered that the Letter contains Valuables as defined in Schedule 2.
41.2 In either case, if the Letter is treated as a Special Delivery Letter, the Sender or the Addressee will be charged the appropriate fee for that service. If the fee is not paid the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
41A. LOCAL COLLECT
41A1 Local Collect is a service whereby Royal Mail delivers a Letter to a Post Office (R) branch for collection by the Addressee. There are two types of Local Collect, one requested by the Addressee set out in 41A.2, and one requested by the Sender set out in 41A.3, 4 and 5.
41A.2 An Addressee may request Royal Mail to deliver a Letter to a Post Office (R) branch within the same delivery area as the Addressee’s address if Royal Mail has been unable to affect delivery at the Addressee’s address. The Addressee must pay the fee set out in Paragraph 21 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme on collecting the Letter. If the Addressee does not pay this fee, Royal Mail may treat the Letter in accordance with Section 17 of this Scheme.
41A.3 Businesses wishing to use the Local Collect service must have a Local Collect Licence which authorises the licensee to send a Letter:
41A.3 1directly to a Post Office (R) branch for collection by the Addressee, or
41A.3.2 to the Addressee’s address, but in the event that Royal Mail is unable to effect delivery at the Addressee’s address, then Royal Mail will deliver the Letter to a Post Office (R) branch located in the same delivery area as the Addressee’s address for collection by the Addressee.
41A.4 The Licence will be granted for a period of one year and may contain such terms and conditions as Royal Mail deem appropriate.
41A.5 The fees applicable to Local Collect Licence are shown in Paragraph 21 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
PART 4
A Letter sent between the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
42. GENERAL
42.1 This part of this Scheme applies to a Letter posted in the United Kingdom for delivery to an address in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (referred to in this part of this Scheme as ‘outgoing Letters’) and to a Letter posted in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man for delivery to an address in the United Kingdom (referred to in this part of this Scheme as ‘incoming Letters’).
42.2 The conditions set out in sections 5 to 41 of this Scheme shall apply to an outgoing and incoming Letter, except where inconsistent with this part of this Scheme or expressly stated otherwise.
43. SPECIAL FEES FOR CERTAIN LETTERS SENT FROM THE CHANNEL ISLANDS OR THE ISLE OF MAN
43.1 The provisions of this section apply to an incoming Letter sent by a person resident in the United Kingdom but not to a Letter sent to that person or the agent of that person.
43.2 If, in any period of thirty consecutive days, Royal Mail receives more than 250 Letters referred to in section 43.1 above, Royal Mail may:
43.2.1 return all or some of the Letters to the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (as appropriate); or
43.2.2 deliver the Letters only on payment of a fee not exceeding the relevant United Kingdom First Class postage rate set out in paragraph 8 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme. If the fee is not paid the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail.
44. CUSTOMS CLEARANCE FOR AN INCOMING LETTER
44.1 An incoming Letter must not be posted, forwarded, redirected, conveyed or delivered except in compliance with any regulations made under any of the Post Office Act 1953, the Post Office Act 1969 and the Postal Services Act 2000.
44.2 An incoming Letter is subject to HM Customs and Excise regulations. Royal Mail may charge a fee on any such Letter which is produced to the proper officer of HM Customs and Excise. This fee must be paid by the recipient on delivery. If the fee is not paid the Letter may be dealt with or disposed of at the discretion of Royal Mail. The fee for this service is shown in paragraph 6 in Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
45. A LETTER HELD IN BOND
45.1 If an incoming Letter held in bond is awaiting customs clearance, Royal Mail may, on application by the Addressee and with the agreement of HM Customs and Excise, do one of the following things:
45.1.1 search for the Letter and offer other help to assist in bringing about a quick customs clearance;
45.1.2 re-address the Letter to someone else;
45.1.3 allow the Addressee or the Addressee’s authorised representative to come to the depot where the Letter is held and inspect it;
45.1.4 allow the Addressee or the Addressee’s authorised representative to come to the depot where the Letter is held and re-address it; or
45.1.5 if it is a Letter in respect of which the Addressee has been sent a customs notice, transfer it from one place to another nominated by the Addressee.
45.2 Royal Mail may charge a fee for providing such services for a Letter held in bond referred to in section 45.1 of this Scheme. These fees are shown in paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme.
45.3 The fee charged for provision of any service under this section involving the re-addressing of a Letter shall be paid by the original Addressee of that Letter.
45.4 Where a Letter is re-addressed under section 45.1 of this Scheme to an address outside the United Kingdom, the original Addressee must pay Royal Mail postage equivalent to that which would have been payable on any Letter originally posted to that address.
46. COMPENSATION FOR A LETTER SENT TO AND FROM THE CHANNELS ISLANDS OR THE ISLE OF MAN
46.1 Sections 50, 51 and 52 of this Scheme do not apply to an incoming or outgoing Letter except as expressly provided for in this section.
46.2 Royal Mail may pay compensation for the Loss of, or Damage to, an incoming or outgoing Letter, in accordance with section 51 of this Scheme, if:
46.2.1 it would have paid compensation under that section if the Letter had been an inland Letter;
46.2.2 it is satisfied that the Letter has been lost or damaged whilst in the custody of Royal Mail or its agents; and
46.2.3 it is satisfied that no compensation has been or will be paid in respect of the Letter by the postal administration of the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
46.3 Royal Mail may pay compensation for the Loss of, or Damage to, an incoming or outgoing Special Delivery Letter in accordance with section 52 of this Scheme, provided that:
46.3.1 the conditions specified in sections 51.5, 52.1 and 52.2 of this Scheme these provisions may need to be re-drafted so they are clearer are complied with;
46.3.2 in the opinion of Royal Mail, the person making the claim establishes a reasonable claim to compensation; and
46.3.3 Royal Mail is satisfied that the Letter has been lost or damaged whilst in the custody of Royal Mail or its agents.
46.4 The amount of compensation Royal Mail may pay under section 46.3 of this Scheme is whatever sum Royal Mail considers appropriate taking into account the nature of any article lost, the care with which it is packed, and any other circumstances, but will not exceed:
46.4.1 in the case of an outgoing Letter, the relevant maximum sum, having regard to the weight of the Letter, and the fee paid set out in paragraph 8 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme; or
46.4.2 in the case of an incoming Letter, the maximum compensation payable under any relevant orders, ordinances and enactments in force in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man at the relevant time.
47. A BUSINESS REPLY OR FREEPOST LETTER TO AND FROM THE CHANNEL ISLANDS
47.1 The conditions relating to a Response Service Letter set out in section 38 of this Scheme shall apply to an incoming and outgoing Letter with the following modifications.
47.2 A Business Reply Letter may be posted in the United Kingdom to an address in the Channel Islands without pre-payment of postage, provided that it could lawfully have been posted without pre-payment of postage in the Channel Islands.
47.3 Where a Response Service Letter is posted from the Channel Islands to an address in the United Kingdom specified in a Response Services licence without pre-payment of postage, the licensee must pay to Royal Mail, on receipt of the Letter, the same amount of postage as would have been payable under this Scheme had the Letter been posted in the United Kingdom.
48. A BUSINESS REPLY LETTER TO AND FROM THE ISLE OF MAN
48.1 The conditions set out in section 38 of this Scheme shall apply to a Business Reply Letter sent between the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man with the following modifications.
48.2 A Business Reply Letter may be posted in the United Kingdom to an address in the Isle of Man without pre-payment of postage, provided that it could lawfully have been posted without pre-payment of postage in the Isle of Man.
48.3 Where a Business Reply Letter is posted in the Channel Islands to an address in the United Kingdom specified in a Response Services licence without pre-payment of postage, the licensee must pay to Royal Mail, on receipt of the Letter, the same amount of postage as would have been payable under this Scheme had the Letter been posted in the United Kingdom.
49. FREEPOST OR UNADDRESSED LETTER TO AND FROM THE ISLE OF MAN
49.1 Freepost or unaddressed Letter may not be sent between the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.
Part 5
Liability and Compensation
50. LETTER FOR WHICH ROYAL MAIL ACCEPTS LIABILITY
50.1 Royal Mail accepts liability and may pay compensation for the Loss of or Damage to an inland Letter, except for:
50.1.1 a Letter forwarded or redirected to an address in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man;
50.1.2 Deleted
50.1.3 Deleted
50.1.4 an undeliverable Letter;
50.1.5 an Electoral Letter;
50.1.6 a petition or an address to the Sovereign or Parliament;
50.1.7 a Letter which Royal Mail may treat as a Special Delivery Letter under section 41 of this Scheme;
50.1.8 a Letter which Royal Mail has dealt with or disposed of at its discretion under any section of this Scheme;
50.1.9 a Letter which Royal Mail has destroyed or otherwise dealt with or disposed of under section 107 (1) of the Postal Services Act 2000;
50.1.10 circumstances where the event giving rise to the claim was caused by situations outside the control of Royal Mail, including exceptionally severe weather conditions, acts of terrorism and vandalism and acts of third parties with whom Royal Mail has no contractual relationship;
50.1.11 an item which Royal Mail has delivered to the address but the occupier or appropriate relevant party has returned to Sender
50.1.12 where the Letter has been forwarded from the original delivery address stated on the item other than by Royal Mail under its redirection service
50.1.13 where Loss or Damage is due to a latent or inherent defect or natural deterioration
50.1.14 where an item in a Letter has not suffered Damage caused solely as a result of its transmission through the post and excluding liability for any pre-existing Damage.
50.2 Royal Mail does not accept liability, and will not pay compensation, for the Loss of or Damage to a Letter unless the Loss or Damage is due to any wrongful act done, or any neglect or default committed by an officer, servant or agent of Royal Mail while performing or purporting to perform his functions as such in relation to the receipt, carriage, delivery or other dealing with the Letter.
50.3 Royal Mail does not accept liability, and will not pay compensation, for the Loss of or Damage to a Letter unless all the conditions of this Scheme that apply to that Letter are complied with.
50.4 Royal Mail does not accept liability and will not pay compensation to the Sender or recipient for the Loss of or Damage to a Letter where the Letter was posted with, or handled by another postal operator or third party, other than when another postal operator has posted the Letter using one of the services listed in section 51.7, in which case that postal operator will be regarded as the sender of the Letter for compensation purposes.
50.5 Royal Mail does not accept liability, and will not pay compensation for Loss of or Damage to an item where the Loss or Damage is caused by the customer’s own act or omission.
51. COMPENSATION FOR A LETTER OTHER THAN A SPECIAL DELIVERY LETTER
51.1 This section applies to a Letter (except a Special Delivery Letter), for which Royal Mail accepts liability under section 50 of this Scheme. Such a Letter is referred to in this section as an ‘ordinary Letter’.
51.2 The maximum compensation Royal Mail will pay if an ordinary Letter or its contents are lost or damaged is the Actual Loss up to the cap of 100 times the cost of a First Class Letter stamp at its first weight step, or up to the cap of the Market Value of the Letter at the time the cause of action arises, whichever is the lesser sum.
51.3 Royal Mail may also refund postage in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 3 of this Scheme.
51.4 Royal Mail does not accept liability, and will not pay compensation, for lost or damaged Valuables contained in an ordinary Letter.
51.5 Royal Mail does not accept liability where there is no material Damage to the envelope or to the external packaging or the internal wrappings which is consistent with the Damage sustained by the item.
51.6 Royal Mail does not accept liability, and will not pay compensation, for a lost or damaged ordinary Letter unless the following conditions are met:
51.6.1 evidence of posting must be obtained for the Letter at the time of posting and produced to Royal Mail upon request;
51.6 2 the Letter must comply with all the provisions set out in this Scheme and in particular those provisions relating to specific services detailed in product licenses, terms and conditions, application forms and other documents issued, published or authorised for issue by Royal Mail;
51.6.3 the Cover or envelope and all packaging must be retained and presented to Royal Mail on request if a claim for compensation for Damage or Part Loss is to be made;
51.6.4 the Letter is fully and correctly addressed in a manner which includes all the elements of the postal address (including the full postcode), written clearly and legilbly on the front or on a label securely attached to the front of the cover or envelope (or otherwise in a manner such that the address is clearly visible in its entirety as if it had been written on the front of the Cover or envelope),
51.6.5 The Letter must not contain anything prohibited by law or any item listed in section 15 of this Scheme.
51.7 If First Class or Second Class stamped and metered mail (including items sent using Smartstamp or online postage), Recorded (Signed for) mail when used in conjunction with First Class or Second Class stamped and metered mail, Articles for the Blind or Standard Parcels (conveyed under the IPS) are used then the arrangements under Schedule 3 of this Scheme shall apply subject to all other relevant provisions of this Scheme having been complied with;
52. COMPENSATION FOR A SPECIAL DELIVERY LETTER
52.1 Royal Mail does not accept liability, and will not pay compensation, for Loss of or Damage to a Special Delivery Letter or its contents unless the conditions of this Scheme have been complied with, in particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, section 9.2 - 9.6, section 40, section 50 (as appropriate) and sections 51.6.1 to 51.6.5 inclusive and the Cover or envelope of the Letter is of such a kind that it cannot be opened and/or re-sealed without the opening and/or re-sealing being evident on inspection.
52.2 The maximum compensation Royal Mail will pay if a Special Delivery Letter or its contents are lost or damaged is the Actual Loss up to the cap of the relevant maximum sum set out in paragraph 20 of Schedule 1 to this Scheme, having regard to the fee paid, or up to the cap of the Market Value of the Letter, at the time the cause of action arises, whichever is the lesser sum.
52.3 If a Special Delivery Letter is not delivered by the specified date or time, Royal Mail may refund the Special Delivery fee. Such a refund will be in addition and not in substitution for any compensation payable for Damage to the Letter.
SCHEDULE 1
Postage Rates and Fees
1. ADMAIL
|
Number of Days (Duration of Agreement) |
Fee |
| 30 | £126 |
| 60 | £220 |
| 90 | £285 |
| 180 | £500 |
| 365 | £750 |
In addition to the fees listed above, all Admail customers must have a Response Services licence (the cost of which may be found in paragraph 18 below), irrespective of whether they already hold such a licence.
2. A LETTER HELD IN BOND
| Service | 1-2 letters | 3-20 letters | Over 20 letters |
| As set out in sections 45.1.1, 45.1.2, 45.1.3 and 45.1.5 | £3.40 | £3.40 | £28.00 |
| As set out in section 45.1.5 | £1.70 | 68p per letter | £14.00 |
3. BUSINESS COLLECTION
| Number or value of items | Fee |
| a Single collection | £10.00 |
| b Daily collection (Monday to Friday) from a specific site if spending less than £15,000 on postage with Royal Mail per year at that site | £450 per annum |
| c Daily collection (Monday to Friday) from a specific site if spending more than £15,000 on postage with Royal Mail per year at that site | Free |
| d Regular Saturday collection | £130 per annum |
4. BUSINESS KEEPSAFE
The fee for the Business Keepsafe service is £28.00 for any period up to a maximum of 66 days. The provisions of section 23.4 may apply over the Christmas and Easter periods and on Public or Bank holidays.
5. CALLER’S SERVICE
The fee for an individual search is £1.00. The service is free in rural areas if the customer is calling for items that have missed that day’s deliveries.
The fee for withholding a letter for collection is £1.00.
A fee of £8.50 per year will be charged for a standing arrangement to call for all Special Delivery and Recorded letters.
6. CUSTOM CLEARANCE FOR AN INCOMING LETTER
£8.00 on any such letter which is produced to the proper officer of HM Customs and Excise.
7. DIVERSION
The fee is £249 per annum per address.
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 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 34 | 34 |
| Large Letters | Maximum 353 x 250mm 25mm thick | 0-100 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 46 | 46 |
| 101 - 250 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 69 | 69 | ||
| 251 - 500 | 108 | 108 | 108 | 99 | 99 | ||
| 501 -750 | 157 | 157 | 157 | 144 | 144 | ||
| Packets | Over 353mm long or 250mm wide or over 25mm thick | 0-100 | 114 | 114 | 114 | 106 | 106 |
| 101 - 250 | 145 | 145 | 145 | 134 | 134 | ||
| 251 - 500 | 194 | 194 | 194 | 168 | 168 | ||
| 501 - 750 | 251 | 251 | 251 | 213 | 213 | ||
| 751 - 1000 | 308 | 308 | 308 | 261 | 261 | ||
| 1001 - 1250 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 365 | 364 | ||
| 1251 - 1500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 427 | 427 | ||
| 1501 - 1750 | 570 | 570 | 570 | 489 | 489 | ||
| 1751 - 2000 | 640 | 640 | 640 | 551 | 551 | ||
| 2001 - 4000 | 822 | 822 | 822 | 739 | 739 | ||
| Each additional 2kg or part thereof | 280 | 280 | 280 | 252 | 252 |
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 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 24 |
| Large Letters | Maximum 353 x 250mm 25mm thick | 0-100 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 37 | 37 |
| 101 - 250 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 56 | 56 | ||
| 251 - 500 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 81 | 81 | ||
| 501 -750 | 131 | 131 | 131 | 117 | 117 | ||
| Packets | Over 353mm long or 250mm wide or over 25mm thick | 0-100 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 90 | 90 |
| 101 - 250 | 124 | 124 | 124 | 115 | 115 | ||
| 251 - 500 | 163 | 163 | 163 | 141 | 141 | ||
| 501 - 750 | 208 | 208 | 208 | 176 | 176 | ||
| 751 - 1000 | 249 | 249 | 249 | 211 | 211 |
Please note that items heavier than 1000g cannot be sent Second Class
9. FLOOR FEES
The fee is £100 per annum for each floor that Royal Mail has to travel up or down in addition to the number of floors it would normally travel up or down on collection and delivery.
The fee is waived if the customer spends more than £15,000 per year at that site.
10. KEEPSAFE
| Retention Period | Fee (Per Household) |
| Up to 17 days | £8.50 |
| 18 to 24 days | £12.00 |
| 25 to 31 days | £15.00 |
| 32 to 66 days | £28.00 |
11. PO BOX
| Box Fee | Early & Late Access | Delivery of letters | Diversion of letters to PO Box | |
| 6 months | £48.80 | +£48.85 | +£48.85 | +£48.85 |
| 12 months | £60.15 | +£60.20 | +£60.20 | +£60.20 |
12. PRIVATE POST BOX
The fee for collection of letters from a Private Post Box is the appropriate Business Collection fee, except for items a, and b which do not apply. Floor Fees may also be charged. In addition, Royal Mail may charge a distance fee dependent on the location of the Private Post Box.
13. PRIVATE ROADSIDE LETTERBOX
Free of charge if the box has an opening through which mail can be collected and delivered.
The fee is £8.00 per year per Private Roadside Letterbox if Consignia has to unlock the box to collect or deliver mail.
14. PROOF OF DELIVERY
The fee for Proof of Delivery of a Recorded letter is £2.20 per letter which is in addition to the fee for the Recorded service. There is no charge for Proof of Delivery of a Special Delivery letter.
15. RECORDED
The fee is 72p per letter in addition to the First and Second Class postage.
16. REDIRECTION
| Duration | To or from a United Kingdom business address per business name | To or from a United Kingdom residential address per name |
| 1 month | £14.85 | £7.35 |
| 3 months | £24.90 | £16.15 |
| 6 months | £49.80 | £24.90 |
| 12 months | £74.75 | £37.40 |
17. Deleted
18. RESPONSE SERVICES
| Service | Licence Fee | Postage | Handling Charge |
| Response Service | £73.40 per annum | Applicable First or Second Class | 1.5p |
| Bar-coded Response Service | £73.40 per annum | Applicable First or Second Class | None |
| Freepost Name | £177.90 per annum | Applicable First Class | 10p |
| Response Service with Special Delivery (including maximum compensation up to £500) | £76.65 per annum | Applicable Special Delivery Charge | None |
| Response Service with Special Delivery (including maximum compensation up to £1000) | £76.65 per annum | Applicable Special Delivery Charge | None |
| Response Service with Special Delivery (including maximum compensation up to £2500) | £76.65 per annum | Applicable Special Delivery Charge | None |
The £73.40 (Response Service and Bar-coded Response Service) and £76.65 (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.
19. SELECTAPOST
| Fees | ||
| If delivered to a single point | If delivered to multiple points | |
| Quarterly charge per selection | £27.60 | £27.60 |
| Per 1000 Letters | £17.70 | £18.30 |
| Per 1000 Large Letters | £26.55 | £27.15 |
20. SPECIAL DELIVERY
Stamped & SmartStamp Fees
| Weight of letter | Fee for maximum compensation up to £500 | Fee for maximum compensation up to £1,000 | Fee for maximum compensation up to £2,500 |
| 1-100g | £4.60 | £5.35 | £6.45 |
| Over 100g-500g | £5.05 | £5.80 | £6.90 |
| Over 500g-1kg | £6.40 | £7.15 | £8.25 |
| Over 1kg-2kg | £8.25 | £9.00 | £10.10 |
| Over 2kg-10kg | £20.70 | £21.45 | £22.55 |
Franked & Printed Postage Impression Fees
| Weight of letter | Fee for maximum compensation up to £500 | Fee for maximum compensation up to £1,000 | Fee for maximum compensation up to £2,500 |
| 1-100g | £4.45 | £5.20 | £6.30 |
| Over 100g-500g | £4.85 | £5.60 | £6.70 |
| Over 500g-1kg | £6.05 | £6.80 | £7.90 |
| Over 1kg-2kg | £7.75 | £8.50 | £9.60 |
| Over 2kg-10kg | £19.70 | £20.45 | £21.55 |
The Saturday guaranteed delivery service is £2 in addition to the fees shown above.
21. LOCAL COLLECT
The annual Licence Fee is £300. The fee payable by the addressee requesting the service is 50 pence per letter.
SCHEDULE 2
Definitions of Terms Used in this Scheme
The Interpretation Act 1978 applies for the interpretation of this Scheme and for this purpose this Scheme is to be treated as if it were an Act of Parliament.
Any reference in this Scheme to any enactment, regulation, Post Office or Royal Mail Scheme shall be construed as a reference to that enactment, regulation, Post Office or Royal Mail Scheme as subsequently amended, re-enacted or replaced.
In this Scheme, the following words and terms have the following meanings:
Actual Loss
(a) Where an item is lost or damaged beyond repair then it is the amount it cost the customer to acquire, purchase or manufacture the item subject to adjustment to take account of condition, age and depreciation
(b) Where an item is damaged it is the cost of repair. No additional payment will be made for the reduced value of the repaired item
Addressee
The person to whom a Letter is addressed.
Articles for the Blind
The meaning set out in section 21.3 and 21.4 of this Scheme.
The Blind and Blind People
The meaning set out in section 21.2 of this Scheme.
Business
Any entity engaged in commercial or economic activity, whether for profit or not, and irrespective of legal form.
Business Address
A location (including a PO Box) at which a Business or any part of a Business is situated and/or carried on and/or at which a Business or any part of a Business accepts or holds itself out as accepting delivery of Letters.
Business Collection
The collection of Letters from a Business’s premises by Royal Mail as set out in section 22 of this Scheme.
Business Reply Letter
A Letter sent using the Business Reply service as set out in section 38 of this Scheme.
Cover
Any Cover, envelope, or other packaging used to contain the contents of a Letter. In the case of a postcard or other card, any reference to a Cover shall be construed as a reference to an outside face of the card.
Damage
If an item in a Postal Packet has suffered a degree of harm that reasonably impairs the material function or contents of the item.
Due Date
Means—
(a) for first class services, the next Working Day following the date of posting;
(b) for second class services and Standard Parcel Services conveyed under the IPS, the third Working Day following the date of posting.
Electoral Letter
The meaning set out in section 19.8 of this Scheme.
Evidence of Posting
Includes the original certificate of posting, an original Horizon certificate of posting, an original Smartstamp(R) or on-line postage certificate of posting validated at a Post Office(R) branch. Where a Letter is the subject of a claim for damage or part loss then the item with envelope or packaging including the postage paid will also constitute evidence of posting; however where a certificate of posting is provided as part of the service purchased this must always be provided to Royal Mail, in addition to the item and packaging, in the event of a claim.
First Class
The service which includes Articles for the Blind posted under section 21 whereby Royal Mail aims to deliver a Letter the next Working Day after posting.
Franked Letter
A Letter bearing a Franking Mark.
Franking Equipment and Franking Mark
The meanings set out in a Franking Scheme.
Franking Scheme
The Royal Mail Scheme for Franking Letters and Parcels 2008.
Freepost Letter
A Letter sent using a Freepost service as set out in section 38 of this Scheme.
Inland
When used in relation to any Letter, a Letter posted in the United Kingdom for delivery to an address in the United Kingdom.
Intrinsic Value
When used in relation to the content of a Letter means that it has an inherent monetary value relating to its essential nature.
IPS
Successor Postal Services Company Inland Parcel Post Scheme 2001
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 Section 16.
Licence
Means the Licence granted to the Successor Postal Services Company (Royal Mail) under Section 11 of the Postal Services Act on 23 March 2001 as amended from time to time,
Loss
A Letter shall be deemed to be lost, (unless there is evidence to the contrary to demonstrate that it has not been lost) if it has not been delivered by Royal Mail to the place it is addressed by the end of the fifteenth Working Day after its Due date, or the tenth Working Day after its Due Date for Special Delivery Next Day.
Mark
A collective term for a mark or impression (to include a franking mark, a printed postage impression, a postage paid symbol, Pre-printed Stationery and SmartStamp(tm)) authorised for use by Royal Mail to indicate payment of postage and/or fees on a Letter or to indicate that the Sender of a Letter has entered into an arrangement with Royal Mail to pay postage and/or fees on that Letter. A mark may be non-adhesive (when it is embossed, impressed or printed on a Cover or envelope) as Royal Mail may from time to time permit.
Market Value
Market Value is what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller, both in a free market, for a Letter. When assessing the market value of a letter, the value of any message or information it contains, or bears or refers to must be ignored. Market value is one of two caps upon the amount of compensation payable.
Money
The meaning set out in the definition of ‘Valuables’
Parcel Service
In relation to a Letter means that if that Letter were to be conveyed, delivered or otherwise dealt with by Royal Mail pursuant to a Scheme, then the appropriate Scheme for conveying and delivering within the UK would be the IPS,
Part Loss
Where a Letter is received and some or part of the content is missing.
Post, Posted
A Letter is posted if it has been entrusted to Royal Mail for transmission by post in accordance with one of the approved methods set out in section 13 of this Scheme and related words shall be construed accordingly
Postage
The fee charged by Royal Mail for delivery of a Letter.
Postage Stamp
A stamp, authorised for use by Royal Mail to indicate payment of postage and/or fees on a Letter or to indicate that the Sender of a Letter has entered into an arrangement with Royal Mail to pay postage and/or fees on that Letter. A postage stamp or Mark may be adhesive in order for it to be affixed to a Cover or envelope, as Royal Mail may from time to time permit.
Postal Packet
A Letter, postcard, reply postcard, newspaper, printed packet, sample packet or parcel and every packet or article transmissible by post.
Postal Address
Means for any premises the address, including the postcode, maintained by Royal Mail from time to time as corresponding to those premises in the Postcode Address File
Post Box
A post box authorised for use as such by Royal Mail excluding a Private Post Box.
Postmark
Any Mark or impression applied by Royal Mail to a Cover or envelope, to cancel a postage stamp or for any other postal purpose approved and authorised by Royal Mail.
Scheme
Any Scheme made under either section 28 of the Post Office Act 1969 or under section 89 of the Postal Services Act 2000 now or in the future.
PPI
A Printed Postage Impression indicating postage payable to Royal Mail and printed under Licence from Royal Mail.
Preprinted Stationery
Stationery pre-printed by Royal Mail to include postage.
Private Post Box
Any post box owned and maintained by a person other than Royal Mail which has been authorised for use as a post box by either the Post Office or Royal Mail.
Residential Address
Any address except a Business address.
Response Service
Any service described as such in section 38 of this Scheme
Response Service Letter
The meaning set out in section 38.1 of this Scheme.
Second Class
The service whereby Royal Mail aims to deliver a Letter within three Working Days after posting.
Sender
The person who sends or on whose behalf a Letter is sent excluding a person at whose request any items or goods are included in a Letter
Smartstamp
A postage impression used by customers posting items with the SmartStamp(tm) indicia having entered into the relevant SmartStamp(tm) terms and conditions.
Social Security Post
Social security post means Postal Packets whose contents relate to any benefit, contributions or national insurance number or to any other matter relating to social security. Social security post is further defined in Section 182A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and Section 158A of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992.
Sovereign
The reigning Monarch of the United Kingdom
Special Delivery Letter
A Letter sent using the Special Delivery service as set out in section 40 of this Scheme. Any reference in any legislation or legal document to “Registered Post” or “the Registered Service” shall be taken to be a reference to Special Delivery as it is the same service in all material respects.
Recorded Letter
A Letter sent using the Recorded service as set out in section 33 of this Scheme.
Unaddressed Letter
A Letter which is not addressed to, or intended for delivery to, any specified Addressee or address.
Undeliverable
When used in relation to a Letter, the meaning set out in section 8.1 of this Scheme.
Unpaid Letter
A Letter on which the postage and/or fees payable under this Scheme has not been paid or has been underpaid.
Valuables
Any of Jewellery or Money
Jewellery:
Any of:
(i) precious metal that has been manufactured in such a way as to add value to it, including coins used for ornament;
(ii) diamonds and precious stones;
(iii) watches the cases of which are made wholly or mainly of precious metal; and
(iv) articles similar to any of those referred to in i)- iii) above with an Intrinsic Value
Money:
Any of:
(i) Coins & Bank notes of any currency that are legal tender at the time of posting;
(ii) Postal Orders, cheques and dividend warrants uncrossed and payable to bearer;
(iii) Unused postage and revenue stamps and National Insurance stamps; Exchequer bills, bills of exchange, promissory notes and credit notes; Bonds, bond coupons and any other investment certificates; and
(iv) Coupons, vouchers, tokens, cards, stamps and other documents that can be exchanged in whole or in part for money, goods or services.
Working Day
For a non - Special Delivery item, working days are Monday to Saturday inclusive, (excluding any Public or Bank Holidays).
For a Special Delivery item, working days are Monday to Friday inclusive (excluding any Public or Bank Holidays) except for Special Delivery items posted on a Friday where the Saturday delivery guarantee is purchased, where working days are Monday to Saturday inclusive, (excluding any Public or Bank Holidays).
SCHEDULE 3
NATURE AND EXTENT OF COMPENSATION PAYMENTS FOR LOSS, PART LOSS AND DAMAGE
1. Compensation for Loss or Damage may be made in relation to the products and services set out in the table below.
2. Compensation for Loss and Damage will be available only in respect of items posted with Royal Mail in the United Kingdom for delivery by Royal Mail in the United Kingdom using the following retail products:
2.1 First Class stamped and metered mail, including items sent using Smartstamp or online postage;
2.2 Second Class stamped and metered mail, including items sent using Smartstamp or online postage;
2.3 Standard Parcels conveyed under the IPS;
2.4 Recorded (Signed for) mail when used in conjunction with products described in paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2 above.
2.5 Articles for the Blind.
3. Compensation for Damage may be payable if an item in a Postal Packet has suffered Damage solely as a result of its transmission through the post, (excluding liability for any pre-existing Damage),
4 Compensation for Loss will not be considered for an item that Royal Mail has not delivered or attempted to deliver until 15 Working Days have elapsed from the Due Date of delivery, at which point it will be considered a Loss unless there is evidence to the contrary. If an item is delivered more than 15 Working Days after the Due Date for delivery the customer will be entitled to claim compensation for delay but not Loss.
5 In respect of claims for the Loss of Postal Packets conveyed to those addresses designated by Postcomm under paragraph 4 of Condition 2 of the Licence as exempted from a daily delivery obligation, the assessment of lateness in paragraph 4 shall apply on a case by case basis.
6 The nature and extent of the compensation payment to be made for Loss of, or Damage to eligible mail items are set out in the following tables.
| Table 1 All retail services (other than Standard Parcels with enhanced compensation) | Loss | Damage and Part Loss |
| Item has no intrinsic value | Postage refund (a minimum 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step.) | 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step |
| Item has intrinsic value (with basic evidence only) | Postage refund (a minimum 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step.) | 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step |
| Item has intrinsic value (with additional evidence) | Postage refund, plus compensation on basis of the customer’s Actual Loss. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the Market Value of the item and statutory maximum of 100 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step. | Postage refund, plus compensation on basis of the customer’s Actual Loss. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the Market Value of the item and statutory maximum of 100 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step. |
| Table 2 Standard Parcels with enhanced compensation | Loss | Damage and Part Loss |
| Item has no intrinsic value | Postage refund (minimum 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step.) | 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step. |
| Item has intrinsic value (with basic evidence only) | Postage refund (minimum 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step.) | 6 x First Class Letter stamps at their basic weight step. |
| Item has intrinsic value (with additional evidence) | Postage refund plus compensation on basis of the customer’s Actual Loss. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the Market Value of the item and the maximum level of compensation purchased | Postage refund plus compensation on basis of the customer’s Actual Loss. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the Market Value of the item and the maximum level of compensation purchased |
7. EVIDENCE REQUIRED IN SUPPORT OF A CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION
7.1 All claims must include as a minimum the following “basic evidence”
7.1.1 the names and addresses of the Sender, Addressee and claimant,
7.1.2 the Royal Mail product used,
7.1.3 the postage paid and method of postage, e.g. stamps, franking impression, Smartstamp(tm)
7.1.4 the place of posting,
7.1.5 the date of posting,
7.1.6 a description of the contents,
7.1.7 the date of delivery (for Damage and Part Loss claims only),
7.1.8 a description of the packaging and condition of the mail item itself (for Damage and Part Loss claims only), and
7.1.9 the basis for asserting the posting details and product used, such as date of postmark, certificate of posting (if available), and for Recorded Signed for and Standard Parcels with enhanced compensation, the product documentation.
7.2 Claimants must retain all the packaging and contents of damaged items or items which are the subject of Part Loss claims as Royal Mail may need to inspect them. If they are not retained compensation payments will not be made.
7.3 Claims for items with an intrinsic value should be made on Royal Mail’s then current Loss and Damage claim form. The claim form needs to be signed and dated by the claimant and supported by “additional evidence” (Evidence of Posting and evidence of value) to corroborate the amount claimed for Actual Loss. If additional evidence cannot be provided then only postage refund or stamps can be considered.
7.4 Evidence of the Actual Loss must be provided to enable Royal Mail to determine the value of the contents of a packet such as original receipts, details of age, paypal record, invoices, manufacturing costs, auctioneers valuation and repair costs in the case of Damage claims, bank or credit card statement. This list is not exhaustive and is for illustrative purposes only
7.5 Royal Mail reserves the right to inspect the item and packaging and/or to request additional documentation and/or information from the claimant, Sender or recipient to protect against unwarranted or duplicate claims. This includes, but is not limited to, a declaration of non-receipt (or proof of non receipt in appropriate cases).
7.6 Evidence must be provided that the Part Loss or Damage sustained by the item is consistent with the damage to the envelope, to the external packaging and to the internal wrappings.
8. WHO MAY CLAIM COMPENSATION?
8.1 The Sender or the recipient may make a claim for Loss of or Damage to an item. However Royal Mail will only make a payment once in respect of any item.
8.2 If both the Sender and the recipient make a claim for the same item, then only the Sender will have a right to compensation, unless a compensation payment has already been made to the recipient, in which case the Sender will have no right to compensation.
Copyright Royal Mail Group Limited 2008
Signed by:Mick Fletcher for and on behalf of Royal Mail Group Ltd.
Date: 24th July 2008
(a) Royal Mail Group Ltd (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 Ltd 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 to Royal Mail Group plc and to Royal Mail Group Ltd on 2nd April 2007.
(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(1) of the Postal Services Act 2000 (Commencement No.4 and Transitional and Savings Provisions) Order 2001 (2001/1148(C37))
(d) London Gazette 29 June 2001, issue number 56259
(e) London Gazette 6 July 2001, issue number 56266
(f) London Gazette 23 November 2001, issue number 56397
(g) London Gazette, 28 June 2002, issue number 56618
(h) London Gazette, 17 January 2003, issue number 56822
(i) London Gazette, 2 May 2003, issue number 56924
(j) London Gazette, 21 November 2003, issue number 57120
(k) London Gazette, 24 December 2003, issue number 57151
(l) London Gazette, 26 March 2004, issue number 57244
(m) London Gazette, 16 April 2004, issue number 57262
(n) London Gazette, 24 September 2004, issue number 57419
(o) London Gazette, 8th October 2004, issue number 57432
(p) London Gazette, 22nd October 2004, issue number 57445
(q) London Gazette, 17th December 2004, issue number 57500
(r) London Gazette, 18th February 2005, issue number 57563
(s) London Gazette, 1st April 2005, issue number 57601
(t) London Gazette, 5th April 2005, issue number 57604
(u) London Gazette, 21st July 2005. issue number 57708
(v) London Gazette, 24th March 2006, issue number 57937
(w) London Gazette, 21st April 2006, issue number 57963
(x) London Gazette, 9th June 2006, issue number 58006
(y) London Gazette, 28th July 2006, issue number 58056
(z) London Gazette, 16th March 2007, issue number 58275
(aa) London Gazette, 14th March 2008, issue number 58640