postage costs.

Dear Tommy

I am writing in response to your request dated 17 July 2009. You
requested the following information:

"...the figure you believe it actually costs to deliver the average first
class letter, in comparison to the cost of the stamp to the public."

Royal Mail has an obligation to deliver mail to every UK address every
working day and we go to considerable lengths to deliver to remote and
isolated communities across the UK. Within the one-price-goes-anywhere
stamped mail service, the cost of handling mail items varies from item to
item and according to where an item is being posted to and from.
Therefore, We do not hold information which documents the current actual
cost of processing and delivering an 'average' first class letter.

However, Royal Mail does publish information which may be helpful to you.
Our regulatory financial statements (accounts we prepare and submit to
the Postal Services Commission) can be viewed online at
www.royalmailgroup.com. These statements show mail volumes, details of
costs and the overall profit or loss to Royal Mail for first class mail
and other formats. Information for 2008/09 financial year can be viewed
using the following links:

[1]ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/rmg/regulatory-financial-statements-2008-09.pdf
[2]ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/rmg/regulatory-financial-statements-2008-09-unaudited.pdf

I hope this information is useful to you. If you have any queries or
further requests in the future then please do contact me. Please provide
us with your full name in any future requests for information. Guidance
from the Information Commissioner states that an applicant should provide
their real full name so that the request can be processed in accordance
with the requirements of the FOIA. If you are dissatisfied with this
response for any reason you do have a right to request an internal review,
in which case please write to the Head of Information Compliance, Royal
Mail Group, Company Secretary's Office, 100 Victoria Embankment, LONDON,
EC4Y 0HQ. An internal panel will then review the decision, and you will
be advised of the outcome.

If, having requested an internal review by Royal Mail, you are still not
satisfied with our response you also have a right of appeal to the
Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

John Cere
Freedom of Information Case Officer
Company Secretary's Office

References

Visible links
1. ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/rmg/regulatory-financial-statements-2008-09.pdf
2. ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/rmg/regulatory-financial-statements-2008-09-unaudited.pdf