Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff employed by HMRC are working on the development of the Customs Declaration Service due for roll-out in August 2018.
The Customs Declaration Service (CDS) is a top priority programme within government and HMRC receives the support it needs. HMRC is on track to deliver CDS by January 2019, and it will begin to transition businesses from the current Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) service to CDS from August 2018.
HMRC manages CDS very closely and has prioritised its delivery for Day 1 of EU exit. HMRC has the capability required to deliver the programme and this capability is continuously reviewed.