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HM Revenue and Customs: Office Closures

Answer

On 9 March 2011, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) confirmed its intention to proceed with the closure of its office in Wick by March 2012. A vacation mandate will be issued before the end of March 2011. Staff were informed in a face-to-face meeting by a senior manager. On 9 March 2011, HMRC also announced the launch of a new targeted voluntary exit scheme, aimed at and available to a pre-selected group of staff in specific circumstances. Eighteen people in Wick, within local compliance and customer operations, have received a letter of invitation to apply for the scheme. The terms offered are equal to those under a voluntary redundancy scheme. Successful applicants will leave HMRC on 31 July 2011. Redeployment options will continue to be explored for those people in Wick who choose not to apply for the scheme. Customer service remains a priority for HMRC and taxpayers will not be affected by the closure of the office in Wick. Facilities will continue to be available to those customers who prefer to deal with their tax affairs online or by telephone. Face-to-face inquiry centre services will remain in the locality for those people who require that level of service, although they may be remodelled as part of the spending review settlement. HMRC’s interests will not be affected by the closure of the office in Wick. It recognises the need to continue to focus on ways of tackling tax evasion and uncollected tax. Potential compliance risks in Caithness will be covered in the retained HMRC locations by larger, integrated teams with a mix of skills.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

7225; 725 c432-3WA

Session

2010-12

Subjects

Closures Offices Revenue and Customs Wick

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk