Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 15 September 2023 to Question 198404 on Passports: Postal Services and to the press release entitled Royal Mail wins HM Passport Office contract published by Royal Mail press on 17 July 2023, what account his decision to award that contract with HM Passport Office and other government offices took of the Ofcom investigation started on 15 May 2023 into Royal Mail’s compliance with its quality-of-service performance targets in 2022-23.

The contract was awarded to Royal Mail on 22 October 2022, prior to the opening of the Ofcom investigation.