§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the staff of each Newcastle tax office on(a) 1 April 1993 and (b) 1 April 1994; and if he will explain the cause of changes since April 1992.
§ Mr. DorrellThe numbers of staff-in-post at the relevant dates are shown in the table.
1 April 1993 1 April 1994 Newcastle 1 153 135 Newcastle 2 25 22 Newcastle 3 65 57 Newcastle 4 86 79 Total 329 293 The comparable total staff-in-post for the four offices at 1 April 1992 was 341. Between 1 April 1992 and 1 April 1994 there has been a reduction of 48 staff-in-post.
About half the reduction relates to typists and secretaries.
The 1 April 1994 figures exclude almost all typing and secretarial staff included at 1 April 1993. Inland Revenue North has carried out an efficiency scrutiny of its typing and secretarial services. Of 24 typists and secretaries in post at 1 April 1993 in the four Newcastle tax offices, two remain, 13 have transferred to other locations—including the Tyneside pool which handles Newcastle work—seven were offered, and accepted voluntary severance terms and two left the department for other reasons.
Reasons for the remaining staff reductions in Newcastle tax offices include a reduced workbase reflecting a decrease in the number of schedule E and schedule D taxpayers the offices deal with, the transfer of trust work to a new office in Nottingham which specialises in such work and other procedural changes including simplification of end of year work on PAYE.