HC Deb 28 January 2002 vol 379 c10W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) individuals and (b) businesses were investigated for tax evasion in the constituency of Buckingham in each year since 1997. [30064]

Dawn Primarolo

Inland Revenue records show the number of inquiries made into tax returns by its offices. However, the geographical ranges of Inland Revenue offices, particularly specialist offices, do not correspond to parliamentary constituencies.

So while there is a record of the number of inquiries undertaken by offices located within parliamentary constituencies, it will not follow that those inquiries relate to individuals and businesses resident or operating within those constituencies. Similarly, offices outside constituency boundaries will undertake inquiries into the returns of individuals and businesses within those boundaries.

Consequently, no meaningful figures are available of the number of inquiries into the returns of individuals and businesses within the constituency of Buckingham.