UK Postcomm consults on management of the PAF

Postcomm today began a three-month consultation as part of a review of the
management of the postcode address file (PAF), the Royal Mail database that lists
every postal address in the United Kingdom. The PAF, originally created by Royal Mail
to speed up its delivery process, is now licensed to many other businesses, such as
insurance companies and banks.
The main objectives of the review are to:
• assess Royal Mail’s performance against its statutory obligations
• ensure that the way the PAF is managed does not act as a barrier to the
development of effective postal competition, and
• ensure the management framework of the PAF is structured in the best way to
further the interests of users.
The review is limited to the management and control of the PAF, including the way it
is distributed to third parties outside the postal industry. The review will not consider:
• The operation of the PAF Code of Practice.
• The consistency (or otherwise) of the PAF with administrative boundaries, such
as the allocation of ‘English’ postcodes to Scottish or Welsh addresses.
• The way in which the PAF is used for non-postal purposes (except when this is
relevant to the management and supply of the PAF).
The consultation document, Royal Mail’s management of the PAF, is published today
on Postcomm’s website, www.postcomm.gov.uk. Hard copies are available from
Postcomm at Hercules House, 6 Hercules Road, London SE1 7DB.
Notes for editors
The postcode address file is the central database, owned and managed by Royal
Mail that holds all the postcodes and postal addresses – approximately 27.5 million of
them — in the UK.
It is a cornerstone of Royal Mail’s postal business.
Royal Mail’s postal competitors also rely on the PAF for sorting, transport and delivery
of mail throughout the UK. In addition it is widely used by UK industry to help identify
correct postal addresses and to cross reference postcode and address data against
other databases such as credit or geographic information.
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Section 116 of the Postal Services Act 2000 sets out Royal Mail’s statutory obligations
with regard to the PAF which are covered by Condition 20 of Royal Mail’s licence.
Beyond the legislation specific to the PAF, Postcomm’s statutory duties – for example
to further the interests of users where appropriate through competition — also apply.
Postcomm – the Postal Services Commission – is an independent regulator. It has been set up
to further the interests of users of postal services. Postcomm’s main tasks are to:
• Seek to ensure a universal postal service at an affordable uniform tariff
• Further the interests of users wherever appropriate through competition
• License postal operators
• Control Royal Mail’s prices and quality of service
• Give advice to government on the future of the post office network.
Postcomm’s policies are steered by a board of seven commissioners, headed by the
chairman, Nigel Stapleton.