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{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
The '''Postcode Address File''' ('''PAF''') is a database which contains all known "Delivery Points" and [[postcodes in the United Kingdom]]. The PAF is a collection of over 29 million Royal Mail postal addresses and 1.8 million [[postcode]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=PAF Stats|url=http://www.poweredbypaf.com/category/paf-stats/|website=Powered By Paf|publisher=Royal Mail Group Ltd|accessdate=9 March 2016}}</ref> It is available in a variety of formats including [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] download, [[compact disc]] and previously available as [[Digital Audio Tape]]. As owner of the PAF, Royal Mail is required by [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/26/section/116 section 116] of the [[Postal Services Act 2000]] to maintain the data and make it available on reasonable terms. A charge is made for lookup services or wholesale supply of PAF data. Charges are regulated by [[Ofcom]]. It includes Small User Residential, Small User Organisation and Large User Organisation details. There have been requests as part of the [[Open Data in the United Kingdom|Open Data]] campaign for the PAF to be released by the government free of charge.<ref>{{cite news|first=Charles |last=Arthur |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/jan/22/postcode-petition-fails-blocked-number-ten |title=Developers dismayed as No.10 blocks free postcode file |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |date=2010-01-22 |accessdate=2013-06-10}}</ref>▼
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
▲The '''Postcode Address File''' ('''PAF''') is a database which contains all known "Delivery Points" and [[postcodes in the United Kingdom]]. The PAF is a collection of over 29 million Royal Mail postal addresses and 1.8
==Usage==
The "delivery points" held on the PAF are routing instructions used by Royal Mail staff to sort and deliver mail quickly and accurately. Elements of the address, including the post town and postcode are occasionally subject to change, reflecting the operational structure of the postal delivery system. Each address is therefore not necessarily a geographically accurate description of where a property is located.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postcomm.gov.uk/policy-and-consultations/consultations/postcode-address-file--changing-postal-addresses/PAFCodeofPracticeReviewFinalDoc.pdf |title=Ofcom | Postal Services |publisher=
==File structure==
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| Dependent Thoroughfare Descriptor || || 20
|-
| Thoroughfare Name || Street
|-
| Thoroughfare Descriptor || || 20
|-
| rowspan="3" | Locality || Double Dependent Locality || Small villages
|-
| [[Post town#Locality|Dependent Locality]] || || 35
|-
| [[Post town
|-
| Postcode || [[Postcodes in the United Kingdom|Postcode]] || || 7
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|}
Some versions of the PAF also contain the '' 'Delivery Point Suffix (DPS)' '' used in [[RM4SCC|CBC (Customer Bar Code)]]. Alternatively the DPS can be found using Royal Mail's '' 'Postcode Information File (PIF)' ''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Know how: a user’s manual for Mailsort®, Walksort®, Presstream®, Cleanmail®, Presstream® Walksort®, Royal Mail International Bulk Mail™ and Automated Standard Tariff Large Letter®|url=http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/Know%20How%202006%20PIP%20vs%201.6a%20Accepted%20Changes.pdf|
==Licensing==
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On the other hand, an example of external use would be a company which provides a PAF-based address look-up on their customer facing website for their own customers to use when they order goods or services.
Royal Mail provide licensing advice on their
==Public Sector Licence==
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* Search & Rescue Organisations
Any organisation wishing to apply can do so now through Royal Mail's
==Alias data==
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The Alias File holds four types of record: Locality, Thoroughfare, Delivery Point Alias, and County Alias:
*The Locality record
*The Thoroughfare record
*The Delivery Point Alias record
*The County record
Royal Mail, in their guide to the data products<ref>[ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/rm/PAF_Digest_Dec_03.pdf PAF Digest], p12</ref> imply that the county alias information was provided when Royal Mail removed the former postal county from the main file.
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==Costs and public availability==
Between 2004 and 2006 a consultation was taken about the future management of the PAF. The proposal to release it for use at low or no cost was rejected, and the business model where it was used to raise money from profitable corporations was retained.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psc.gov.uk/policy-and-consultations/consultations/postcode-address-file--management-of-information.html|title=Postcode Address File
The accounts for the PAF for 2005/6 disclosed an income of £18million, 8.6% of which was profit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.psc.gov.uk/postcomm/live/policy-and-consultations/consultations/postcode-address-file--management-of-information/PAF_decision_doc.pdf|title=Royal Mail's Future management of PAF|date=April 2007}}</ref>
Following a Government consultation,<ref>[http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/ordnancesurveyconsultation DCLG: Policy options for geographic information from Ordnance Survey: Consultation] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230115507/http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/ordnancesurveyconsultation |date=
==See also==
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*[http://www.poweredbypaf.com PAF from Royal Mail]
*[http://www.poweredbypaf.com/how-the-royal-mail-postcode-address-file-paf-helps-organisations-verify-their-customers-identities/ A quick Introduction to PAF]
* [http://www.poweredbypaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Latest-Programmers_guide_Edition-7-Version-6.pdf Technical guide to using the PAF file]
*[https://www.poweredbypaf.com/product/alias/ Alias File from Royal Mail]
*[http://data.gov.uk/dataset/code-point-open GB postcode geolocation file (excludes Northern Ireland)]
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