Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Gauke and Marcus Jones

Tuesday 11th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)]

T4. Small businesses in my constituency regularly raise with me the issue of the administration and service levels at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Those problems constantly add to the administrative burden of small businesses. What more can the Government do to make HMRC more efficient, in order to unburden our small businesses and let them get on with the day job?

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

My hon. Friend will be aware of the paper that HMRC produced at the time of the last Budget, in which it set out the ways in which we would reduce the administrative burden on small businesses, including cash accounting. He mentioned the difficulties in getting through to HMRC and the problems with the contact centres. HMRC is making further investments and employing an additional 1,000 people in order to improve the performance at its contact centres.