Citation and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Postal Services Act 2011 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2011.

(2) In this Order “the Act” means the Postal Services Act 2011.

Provisions coming into force on 15th September 2011

2.  Sections 64(2) to (6) of the Act shall come into force on the making of this Order.

Provisions coming into force on 1st October 2011

3.—(1) Save to the extent that it is already in force, and subject to paragraph (2), the entire Act shall come into force on 1st October 2011.

(2) Article 3(1) does not apply to section 1 of, or to paragraphs 38 to 41 and 147 of Schedule 12 to, the Act.

Transitional provisions: postal and money orders

4.  Until paragraphs 38 to 41 of Schedule 12 to the Act are brought into force, any reference to the Post Office company in sections 111 to 114 (postal and money orders) of the Postal Services Act 2000(2) shall have effect as if it were a reference to the original holding company within the meaning given by section 15 of the Act.

Transitional provisions: payment of seamen’s wages

5.  Until paragraph 147 of Schedule 12 to the Act is brought into force, any reference to the Post Office company in section 30(10) (payment of seamen’s wages) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995(3) shall have effect as if it were a reference to the original holding company within the meaning given by section 15 of the Act.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order brings into force all provisions of the Postal Services Act 2011 (c. 5) (“the Act”) which did not come into force on Royal Assent, with the exception of section 1 (removal of restrictions on ownership of Royal Mail Holdings plc etc) and paragraphs 38 to 41 and 147 of Schedule 12 (minor and consequential amendments).

Article 2 brings sections 64(2) to (6) into force on 15th September 2011, enabling Postcomm to make a transfer scheme under section 30 of the Communications Act 2003 (c. 21) in anticipation of the transfer of regulator from Postcomm to Ofcom on 1st October 2011.

Article 3 brings the remainder of the Act into force on 1st October 2011, other than those provisions already in force on that date and those specified in Article 3(2).

Articles 4 and 5 make transitional provisions in relation to postal and money orders and the payment of merchant seamen’s wages by such orders, preserving existing arrangements until the schemes under which they are operated are amended to provide for the separation of Post Office Limited from Royal Mail Holdings.