Mr. Speaker, that is no surprise, considering that it was never put out to tender and other insurance companies wanted to have a try at it.
It is interesting that the spokesperson said “The most critical element in putting together this deal was to find a firm with a compatible culture. That is not something which can be put out to tender”.
What kind of compatible culture is this spokesperson talking about? Is it the culture of “You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours”? Is it the culture of “Give early, give often and the cheque is in the mail”? Or, is it merely the culture that says “Hey friend, have I got a deal for you”?
Why is it that there are so many untendered contracts that go to the friends of the Prime Minister?