To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he made an assessment of the merits of incorporating the specification for the Check and Send service in the requirements of the Identity and Passport Service tender notice for the procurement of front-office identity services. (319962)

The following statement was made in the Official Journal of European Union (OJEU) Notice with regards to Front Office Services:

“IPS seeks expressions of interest from Service Providers for securing concessions to provide Front Office Services (FOS) to members of the public in connection with identity products issued by IPS and other government departments. These services may subsume the “Check & Send” assisted application process for UK passports.”

This gives the agency the option to include the “Check and Send” service as part of the Front Office Services if deemed appropriate after further discussion with the suppliers down selected at the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) stage.