Revenue and Customs: Irvine

(asked on 2nd July 2014) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the reasons are for the proposed closure of Irvine Tax Office.


Answered by
David Gauke Portrait
David Gauke
This question was answered on 8th July 2014

The Spending review means HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) will reduce in size to 52,000 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts by 2016. Reduced staffing levels mean a reduced need for accommodation and HMRC has to consider where and how work will be done in the future.

Irvine is one of 14 offices which do not feature in the longer term plans of any of HMRC's lines of business and in November staff based at these locations were invited to apply for voluntary exits if they wished to leave the department now. Those who accepted exits left on 30 April.

On 5 June HMRC opened consultation on the possible closure date for 12 of these 14 offices. The proposed closure date for Irvine is December 2015. Consultation will last until 5 August and HMRC's decision will be announced in September.

HMRC's longer term strategy will look to bring people together in larger sites, enabling the department to work more flexibly and with improved cost effectiveness.

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