Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 12 April (HL6775) stating that "all opportunities to supply passports or their components for EU governments must comply with the EU Procurement Directives", whether (1) France, (2) Germany, (3) Italy, and (4) Spain, are exempt from those directives.

All EU member states are bound by EU Procurement Directives, and companies within the member states would have the opportunity to bid for the work as and when the government puts it out to tender.

If the service is available from a state owned company, then an exemption to running a tender with private companies applies. There is no state owned UK passport company, and therefore this exemption does not apply. It is not for the UK Government to comment on whether France, Germany, Italy or Spain has opted to apply for such an exemption.