Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 13
It is clear to us that, despite statements in evidence on 17 January by Simon...
Conclusion
It is clear to us that, despite statements in evidence on 17 January by Simon Thompson, the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mail, PDA data has been used to track the speed at which postal workers deliver their post and, subsequently, for performance management, both explicitly in disciplinary cases and as a tool by local managers to dissuade staff from stopping during their rounds. Based on the evidence, it seems clear to us that, whether intentionally or inadvertently, Mr Thompson misled the Committee when he first gave evidence by giving an answer which was not wholly accurate.
Government Response Summary
Royal Mail conducted a review of how its policies are being applied locally to ensure consistent implementation and will regularly remind employees about responsible data use and USO delivery.
Paragraph Reference:
13
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
As has previously been said to the Committee, it is not our policy to prioritise parcels over letters. It is clearly important that our policies are implemented consistently across Royal Mail, so where there are examples where this is not the case, we want to take action to address this. Following the Committee’s Report, we took the decision to conduct a review of how our policies are being applied locally. In an organisation as large as ours, it is always possible that there are some errors in interpretation or implementation. We hope that with that piece of work there can be no ambiguity in the future as to what our policies are, and how it must be implemented. We will continue to regularly remind our employees about our policies and procedures on the responsible use of data and delivery of the USO.