Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what feedback her Department has received on the quality of the manufacture and printing of new UK passports; and what estimate she has made of value for money in the award of the contract for the manufacture and printing of those passports.

The new British passport is a highly secure document containing some of the most sophisticated security technologies. Its components are rigorously tested to simulate normal passport handling over its ten-year lifespan.

Her Majesty's Passport Office undertakes routine quality assurance, and remains content the latest version of the British passport, including the personalisation process, continues to meet its requirements. The current contract to design, manufacture, and personalise the British passport continues to ensure good value for the taxpayer, with expected savings of approximately £140m compared to the previous contract awarded in 2009.