§ Mrs. ChaplinTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provision has been made to ensure that the confidentiality of taxpayers' affairs is preserved if the Inland Revenue contracts out some of its support services.
§ Mr. DorrellThere are two safeguards. The first is that all relevant contracts will contain provisions obliging contractors to make all necessary arrangements to protect the privacy of personal information. The second is that contractors and their employees will be subject, in the same way as Revenue employees, to the criminal sanctions—a fine, or imprisonment, or both—provided by section 182 of the Finance Act 1989 for unauthorised disclosure of personal tax information.