§ Mr. PopeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue staff are currently employed in the prevention of tax fraud; and what was the financial benefit of such work in the last financial year for which figures are available. [16824]
§ Sir George YoungIt is not possible to identify the number of Inland Revenue staff engaged purely in the prevention of tax fraud. But about 4,500 staff were involved in counter-evasion work—including the investigation of suspected fraud—during the year 1993–94. The total yield from this work was approximately £1.5 billion.