Passport deal all above board

GOVERNMENT officials have moved swiftly to dismiss reports that something was amiss when an Oldham company lost a £400 million contract to produced new, hi-tech passports.

As reported in the Chronicle last month, more than 300 jobs are at risk following the Government decision to award a new contract to Basingstoke-based De La Rue.

Previously the passports were printed in Broadway, Chadderton, by 3M Security and Systems Ltd.

The Oldham business, which hit national headlines when 3,000 blank passports worth £2.5 million were stolen last year, was thought to be in pole position for the new contract.

Reports have been circulating that a senior Government adviser, Gill Rider, is also a director of De La Rue. She joined the board in June, 2006, but stepped down when bidding began for the passports contract.

It is alleged that Miss Rider, (54), was in charge of civil service recruitment when two of her former colleagues from the private sector were appointed to top jobs in the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).

All 3M would say on the matter was the following statement: “3M Security Printing and Systems Ltd has been in discussion with the IPS in order to gain a full understanding of their decision. 3M has nothing further to say while those discussions are ongoing.”

A spokesman for the IPS, said: “IPS met its legal obligations and followed guidance from the Office of Government Commerce throughout the procurement process to ensure a fair, transparent and robust exercise that ultimately identified the most suitable supplier to deliver the contract.”

A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: “It is a matter of public record that Gill Rider is a non executive director of De La Rue. As director general leadership and people strategy in the Cabinet Office, Gill Rider has no involvement in the development or consideration of Home Office or IPS policy.

“However, in order to avoid a perception of any conflict of interest, it was agreed that Gill would temporarily step down from the board.”