Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department's contract with the Post Office Ltd to provide the biometric residence permit collection service (a) began, (b) will end; and whether he plans to extend that service.

The contract with the Post Office Ltd to provide the biometric residence permit (BRP) collection service started in June 2012, although the service only became operational in February 2015. The current BRP Collection contract is due to end in July 2019, however we do have an option to extend the contract for a further year to July 2020. The Home Office is currently considering this option, a decision is imminent.

In terms of the yearly cost of the contract:

2018/19: £2,131,283. 95
2017/18: £2,056,394.35
2016/17: £2,051,690.25
2015/16: £1,610,036.95
2014/15: £123,000
2013/14: £257,000
2012/13: £1,558,000
2011/12: £441,000 (Set up costs)