§ Mr. Swinglerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax officers from the provinces are at present required to work in London; what pay 171W rates they are receiving; what travelling allowances are granted to enable them to visit home; and what steps are being taken to decentralise the work of his Department so as to make their journeys to and from London unnecessary.
§ Sir E. BoyleForty-nine tax officers in the Inland Revenue Department who normally work in the provinces are on temporary relief duties in London for periods not exceeding nine weeks. During the year to 30th June, 1961, 241 tax officers were transferred from the provinces to London Tax Districts on the understanding that at the end of three years they could opt to return to their home towns. In the same period, 78 tax officers previously brought to London on the same terms were transferred out of London.
Tax officers are remunerated on the same scale as members of the General Clerical Class in the Civil Service who, as a result of a recent award, will receive pay rising to a maximum of £875 per annum in Inner London. Free or assisted travel home is allowed on a scale depending on the personal circumstances of each officer and the terms on which he is serving in London.
As a partial solution to the problem of staffing Tax Districts in London, the Inland Revenue transferred a large block of work to Liverpool in 1959 and a further block will be transferred to Manchester before the end of this year.