Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they do not include a postal address option on tax code notices to enable digitally excluded people to contact HMRC more easily.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC removed postal address from notices to encourage customers to use their digital services and interact with them online through their Personal Tax Account. Customers can submit queries electronically via HMRC’s iForm, which is handled by a dedicated team similar post correspondence.

For those unable to engage online, HMRC continues to provide support through telephone, including the Extra Support Service. This service is for customers who cannot contact HMRC due to health or personal issues. They can request phone, video, or in-person appointments when calling the helplines, and HMRC’s advisers will assess their circumstances to offer the best option for them.

More information can be found on the Extra Support Service at:

Get help from HMRC if you need extra support: Help you can get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) median, and (2) upper decile, wait time for His Majesty's Revenue and Customs to answer telephone calls.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not report on the median or upper decile wait times for telephone calls. However, HMRC publishes data on the average speed of answer for customer calls and the percentage of calls where the customer waited more than 10 minutes.

This information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2023-to-2024

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they gave to the Report from the Communications and Digital Committee Digital exclusion (3rd Report, Session 2022–23, HL Paper 219) when removing the postal address for HMRC from tax code notices.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC could not have considered the 2022-23 Communications and Digital Committee Report on Digital Exclusion when removing the postal address from tax code notices, as this change occurred over 5 years ago. In keeping with the HMRC Charter principles, the Department aims to balance digital initiatives with accessibility for those facing digital exclusion.