Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of fuel duty on a) inflation and b) the cost of living.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the impact of fuel costs on household budgets and is already taking action to help keep fuel prices down. Since Autumn Budget 2024, the Government’s decisions to freeze fuel duty will save the average motorist around 8 to 11 pence per litre, compared to the plans inherited from the previous government.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out the impact of policy measures on inflation in its Autumn Budget 2025 forecast, including the fuel duty freeze extension announced at that Budget. The OBR forecast that this measure will reduce CPI inflation by around 0.13 percentage points in 2026/27.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the HMRC Personal Tax (PT) Directorate workforce distribution projection, including Managed Service Provider provision for (a) Total Personal Tax Paid Supply, (b) Permanent Supply, (c) Contingent Labour, (d) Surge, (e) Flex Moves, (f) Managed Service Provider, (g) Personal Tax Effective Supply, (h) Recruitment and (i) Speed to Competency for new recruits in each month from April 2026 to March 2027 inclusive.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Improving day-to-day performance and the customer experience is a key priority for HMRC.
HMRC expects to continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are the HMRC Customer Service Group outputs – Baseline Plan, as of 12 February 2026, for each month from April 2026 to March 2027 for the Customer Service Group, excluding Debt Management, for (a) FTE Total (Paid Supply, including Contingent Labour & Surge and (b) Managed Service Provider Total.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Improving day-to-day performance and the customer experience is a key priority for HMRC.
HMRC expects to continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HMRC has made of the net staffing impact of the Managed Service Provider, taking account of both Managed Service Provider recruitment and HMRC staffing levels.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Improving day-to-day performance and the customer experience is a key priority for HMRC.
HMRC expects to continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, hat are the staffing projection figures, given in full-time equivalent supply numbers before any rebalance, in HMRC Customer Service Group for the following directorates, (a) Benefits, Family and Customs, including Contingent Labour (CL) (Benefits, Family & Customs), (b) Debt Management, (c) Personal Tax (including Contingent Labour & Managed Service Provider), (d) Operational Excellence, (e) Strategy and Change, (f) Finance, Planning and Performance, (g) Operational Delivery Profession, (h) Customer Experience Directorate and (i) Surge Rapid Response Team used in Customer Services Group.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Improving day-to-day performance and the customer experience is a key priority for HMRC.
HMRC expects to continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
HMRC is currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase for its use of MSPs and has no plans to publish full staffing projections for MSPs or customer services staff at this stage. Future workforce decisions will be informed by the outcome of this phase and taken in line with normal business planning and Spending Review processes.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what modelling HMRC has undertaken on the displacement risk from the Managed Service provider model to existing HMRC roles, including surge staff and fixed‑term employees.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC plans to maintain Customer Services Group headcount and total productive hours as Managed Service Provider capacity increases.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Managed Service Provider staffing levels are expected to increase beyond peak‑demand coverage for each function.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what HMRC’s projected Managed Service Provider headcount is for the (a) next 12 months and (b) Spending Review period.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Full‑Time Equivalent staff are engaged via the Managed Service Provider, broken down by business area.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.