To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what legal justification his Department based its decision to (a) terminate the tender process for the Post Office card account and (b) award the contract for the Post Office card account to the Post Office. (242632)

[holding answer 11 December 2008]: The decision to end the tender process and to award a contract to the Post Office was taken in accordance with domestic and European Union law including the Public Contracts Regulations 2006 and EU Directive 2004/18/EC.