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11 Jan 2010 : Column 774W—continued
Revenue and Customs: Data
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how long HM Revenue and Customs retains (a) copies of and (b) data contained in tax returns; and if he will make a statement. [308134]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs has recently modified its retention policy and is working towards a position where it will normally retain tax returns and the data they contain plus related correspondence for six years in addition to the current year. Information will be retained for longer periods where necessary, for example where there is a continuing investigation into possible fraudulent or criminal activity.
Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the staff at each grade in HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland is from each religious background. [309177]
Mr. Timms: The information requested on the community background of HM Revenue and Customs in post as of 1 December 2009 is provided in the following table.
| Protestant | Roman Catholic | Non-determined | ||||
| Grade | Number | Percentage of grade | Number | Percentage of grade | Number | Percentage of grade |
| (1) HMRC's policy is to not release figures on diversity or community background where there is any risk of individuals being identified. There are very small numbers in four of the grades above and therefore the figures for these four grades have been amalgamated in line with this policy. | ||||||
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many complaints of harassment based on a person's (a) race, (b) gender and (c) religion were made against officers of HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; [309179]
(2) how many officers of HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland have been the subject of more than one complaint of harassment on the grounds of religion in the last five years. [309181]
Mr. Timms: Based on centrally held records, no complaints of harassment against officers of HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland have been made based on a person's race, gender or religion made since January 2007.
Information for earlier periods is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Revenue and Customs: Surveillance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many authorisations under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 have been (a) made and (b) refused by the authorising officer in HM Revenue and Customs in each year since the Act came into force. [308346]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is provided in the following table since the formation of HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) in April 2005.
| Applications under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 | ||
| Made | Refused | |
The statistics include applications made for assigned matters such as drug and arms smuggling that have now been transferred to either the Serious Organised Crime Agency or the UK Borders Agency.
No central records exist for applications made in the former HM Customs and Excise and Inland Revenue prior to their merger in 2005; collating this information could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many callbacks were offered to callers to (a) the Tax Credits public helpline, (b) the Tax Credits intermediaries helpline, (c) the MPs Tax Credits helpline, (d) the Child Benefit public helpline and (e) all other HM Revenue and Customs helplines in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09. [308197]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) systems do not capture the number of callbacks offered.
HMRC will shortly begin a six-month review of its numbering strategy, including the feasibility of offering callbacks to customers more readily.
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps the Tax Credits Helpline is taking to ensure compliance with item 9 of the HM Revenue and Customs charter, on mobile telephone users; [308198]
(2) what steps the Child Benefit Helpline is taking to ensure compliance with item 9 of the HM Revenue and Customs charter, on mobile telephone users. [308199]
Mr. Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are committed to keeping the costs of dealing with them as low as possible while improving the service they provide to their customers. In recent months, HMRC Contact Centre have introduced a range of automated advisory messages to its helplines, which mean that many customers have their query answered quickly without having to wait to speak to an advisor.
HMRC Contact Centres will shortly begin an in- depth review of its numbering strategy for a period of six months looking at what can be done in both the short and long term. This review will include the feasibility of offering call backs to customers telephoning from mobile phones. HMRC Contact Centres recognise that
this will not be straightforward as it will need to balance the cost to the Department and the likely impact on service levels against the costs to the customer.
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times a caller had to wait on hold before speaking to an operator on (a) the Tax Credits public helpline, (b) the Tax Credits intermediaries helpline, (c) the MPs Tax Credits helpline, (d) the Child Benefit public helpline and (e) all other HM Revenue and Customs helplines in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09. [308202]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs' systems are unable to track the progress of an individual caller through their telephone call.
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of calls made to (a) the Tax Credits public helpline, (b) the Tax Credits intermediaries helpline, (c) the MPs Tax Credits helpline, (d) the Child Benefit public helpline and (e) all other HM Revenue and Customs helplines was in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09. [308203]
Mr. Timms: The information requested, as far is it is available, is provided in the following table.
| HMRC average call handling times shown in minutes and seconds | |||||
| (a) Tax credits | (b) Intermediaries | (c) MP hotline | (d) Child benefit | (e) All other helplines | |
| n/a = Not available. Note: HMRC Contact Centres take the average call handling time to be the time spent by the customer on the phone together with any additional time taken by the adviser after the call to complete any tasks. | |||||
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls were made from a (a) landline telephone and (b) mobile telephone to (i) The tax Credits public helpline, (ii) the Tax Credits intermediaries helpline, (iii) the MPs Tax Credits helpline, (iv) the Child Benefit public helpline and (v) all other HM Revenue and Customs helplines in (A) 2005-06, (B) 2006-07, (C) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09. [308204]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available, as HM Revenue and Customs' systems do not capture this information.
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what average length of time individual callers to (a) the Tax Credit helpline and (b) the Child Benefit helpline were kept on hold in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07, (iii) 2007-08 and (iv) 2008-09; and for what average length of time callers to the tax credit helpline were kept on hold in the month before the deadline for renewal of credits in each of those years. [308208]
Mr. Timms: The available information is presented in the following tables.
| Average in seconds | ||
| Child benefit helpline | Tax credit helplin e | |
| n/a = Not available | ||
| Tax credit helpline | Average in seconds |
| n/a = Not available | |
For the purposes of this question, HM Revenue and Customs has interpreted the average length of time individual callers were "kept on hold" as the time customers are on "hold" during a discussion with an adviser.
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of callers to the Tax Credits helpline who rang to say they were returning to work after more than 20 weeks in receipt of incapacity benefit or employment support allowance or statutory sick pay and who were not returning to work full-time were informed abut the disability element of tax credits in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09. [308210]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is not available as HM Revenue and Customs' systems do not capture this information.
John Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 11 June 2009, Official Report, column 983W, on Welfare Tax credits: telephone services, what recent steps his Department has taken to review its numbering strategy; and what such steps it plans to take in the next 12 months. [308316]
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