§ Mr. David Mitchellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a list of the Inland Revenue offices operating a free-phone service, together with the special telephone numbers concerned.
§ Mr. Robert Sheldon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 5th May 1977], gave the following information:
The free-phone service is provided for the use of employers dealt with by the following tax districts:
- London Provincial 1-XI.
- Crewe 2 (London).
- Exeter 4 (London).
- Plymouth 2 (London).
- Sheffield 6 (London).
- Sheffield 7 (London).
- Stoke 4 (London).
The service is intended solely for the use of such employers and it would not be appropriate to publish the relevant telephone numbers; each employer concerned was notified of his "free-phone" code number at the time of transfer of his PAYE work out of London.
The service has not been extended since 1969 on account of cost. Instead, as was explained to hon. Members in the debate on PAYE inquiry facilities—[Official Report, 15th July 1971; Vol. 821, c. 888]—the Inland Revenue has provided a network of inquiry offices to which employers, employees and their agents can address their inquiries.