Postcode Address File - review of the management of PAF
Postcomm, the UK’s independent postal services regulator, has agreed with Royal Mail new safeguards for the future management of the postcode and address data contained in its Postcode Address File (PAF).
The four key issues covered in the decision. These are:
- The definition of PAF – what information should Royal Mail be obliged to supply? Postcomm considers that ‘PAF data’ is not only made up of postcode details, but also includes other information needed to allow users to identify specific addresses.
- The creation of an advisory board. Royal Mail has agreed to set up an advisory board to represent the views of PAF users, and has already started the recruitment process for the board’s independent chairman.
- Ringfencing of PAF. As competition develops in the mail market – and also with other suppliers of similar address data – it is crucial that Royal Mail ringfences PAF from its other activities, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
- Profits. PAF is a unique set of data that it would be almost impossible to replicate. This, combined with the increasing demand for PAF data from a wide range of organisations, puts Royal Mail in a very powerful position where setting prices is concerned. Although PAF does not fall within the ‘price control’ that Postcomm uses to set a pricing and service quality framework for Royal Mail, the company has agreed to aim for an operating profit margin in the range of 8-10%.
Royal Mail has agreed to implement all the decisions outlined in the report.
More background on Royal Mail's Postcode Address File.
Related Documents:
- 17 April 2007 - decision document
- Royal Mail's future management of PAF (pdf, 604KB).
- 17 April 2007 - news release
- Postcomm announces new safeguards for management of address information.
- 31 July 2006 - consultation responses
- Consultation responses to the February consultation document 'Postcomm's proposals for the future management of the PAF'.
Royal Mail (pdf, 153KB),
Improvement and Development Agency (pdf, 51KB),
Local Government Information House (pdf, 42KB)
other non-confidential responses (pdf, 5MB) - 8 February 2006 - consultation document
- Postcomm's proposal for the future management of the PAF (pdf, 468KB)
- 8 February 2006 - news release
- Make postcode file more accessible says Postcomm.
- June 2004 - non-confidential consultation responses
- Non-confidential responses (pdf, 1.8MB)
- 16 June 2004 - consultation document
- Royal Mail's management of the PAF. A consultation document (pdf, 322KB)
- 16 June 2004 - news release
- Postcomm consults on management of PAF.
