§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time or part-time staff have joined the Inland Revenue to deal with the increased work as a result of the Finance Act 1978; and how many more staff are likely to be required for this purpose.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonIt has been estimated that the Inland Revenue will need on this account the equivalent of about 350 additional Staff units this year, and about 730 additional units in subsequent years, compared with the numbers which would otherwise have been required.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was (a) total, (b) permanent, and (c) short-term Inland Revenue staff on 1st January 1978 and at the latest date for which figures are available; and what these figures would be if the Inland Revenue had its full complement of staff.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe total staff of the Inland Revenue at 3rd January
884Wary, column 418, showing in the second column the March 1974 capital transfer tax thresholds at latest prices and in the third column the present thresholds.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesThe information is given in the following table, which also provides a comparison with the March 1974 estate duty thresholds:
1978 was 85,497, of whom 84,963 were permanent staff and 534 were staff employed on short-term engagements. The corresponding figures at 2nd October 1978 were 85,599, 84,299 and 1,300 respectively.
But for a shortfall in recruitment, the total numbers of staff would have been approximately 86,000 in January and 86,600 in October.