Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HMRC will (a) publish Equality Impact Assessments for their Human Resources proposals and (b) consult the trade unions on those assessments.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HMRC publishes Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) on decisions and changes that affect the workforce. These are published on internal HMRC platforms. It is standard practice for Trade Unions to be consulted on these assessments prior to their publication. HMRC publish impact assessments concerning its public-facing policy and services on GOV.UK.Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has contacted its staff in the last four months to inform them that they can sell annual leave.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
HM Treasury has given staff the opportunity to sell a limited number of annual leave days in lieu. This was communicated at the appropriate points across the year.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to comply with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether the data gathered is shared with the trade unions.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HMRC complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management code. We conduct regular diversity data audits which are shared with our trade unions and published internally. Trade unions are also involved in the development of associated actions.Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what human resources information HM Revenue and Customs shares with trade unions on a regular basis.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HMRC shares the data legally required, and in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code.
Examples of data and information shared include: business performance, attendance management, recruitment and retention, redundancies and exits, Health and Safety, grievances and disciplinaries.
Our Employee Relations Agreement, that was co-created with our trade unions, specifies the following “HMRC, ARC and PCS will always aim to share information at the earliest opportunity to support effective engagement. HMRC, ARC and PCS may also need to ask for additional information to support discussions”.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many posts were vacant in HMRC's National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit as of 22 March 2022; and he if will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC enforces the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the NMW receives it.
Based on the most recent available data, as of 22 March 2022, the HMRC National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit has 18 vacancies.
In addition, staff across HMRC, other than those working directly in the Compliance Unit, also contribute to enforcing the NMW, including lawyers, technical advisers, and those specialising in criminal investigations.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) artificial intelligence, and (b) machine learning projects are being (i) undertaken and (ii) considered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC are using up to date technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), to deliver data and insight into the hands of their decision makers. This helps HMRC to focus on minimising the tax gap and makes the tax system more intuitive for taxpayers.
HMRC use AI methods across all their business areas. AI and ML outputs are validated with human oversight before being implemented.
HMRC are in the process of standardising their AI ethical framework in order to ensure it is consistently applied across the organisation.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2022 to Question 126706 on Treasury: Coronavirus, if he will make it his policy to require individual risk assessments for all employees at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by HMRC as of 2 March 2022.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Throughout the pandemic HMRC have, in line with UK and Devolved Administration Guidance, made the Health & Safety (H&S) of employees their top priority, and put in place robust control measures to deliver on that. Measures include facilitating working at home where possible and providing a range of mental health and wellbeing services for employees wherever they are based. HMRC ensured suitable ventilation and additional cleaning in their workplaces, as well as the mandation of the wearing of face coverings in their Scottish offices. For offices in the other UK nations, there was an expectation that face coverings would be worn from Summer 2021 to January 2022.
The HMRC Chief Executive gave notice on 31 January 2022 that from 28 February colleagues in England and Scotland will move to new ‘hybrid’ ways of working. As greater numbers of HMRC employees return to the workplace, the Department has put in place a ‘Return to Office Discussion Toolkit’. This gives managers and employees an opportunity to consider health, safety, and wellbeing in the context of the employees’ personal circumstances, to identify any concerns, and the right next steps and solutions. The Toolkit includes an Individual Risk Assessment, which can be used to help employees and managers understand the cumulative risk, to consider what additional controls can be put in place, and to make an informed decision about next steps. If any concerns are identified after working through the individual risk assessment, professional Occupational Health advice and welfare support is available. Completing the Individual Risk Assessment is not mandated in HMRC, which reflects the Scottish Government Guidance position that employers “should continue to conduct individual risk assessments … where necessary”. This remains the position going forward, subject to any changes in UK or Devolved Administration Government Guidance.
As part of the Toolkit and risk assessment process, HMRC have recognised that there may be some colleagues who need additional flexibility and support as part of their return to the office. Therefore, HMRC managers have the flexibility and discretion to support employees with plans that might run to a slightly longer timeframe. The ‘Supported Returns Plan Toolkit’ allows additional time to enable solutions to be put in place for the employee’s return to the office, as well as the continuation of support for them, such as additional utilities, travel expenses, and London pay easement, where applicable.
Whilst HMRC requires each manager and employee to have a Toolkit-led conversation as part of return to office planning, they do not retain records of how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Treasury has encouraged all managers to discuss with employees their individual risk factors and any concerns they may have about returning to the workplace; managers have been advised to use a Coronavirus Individual Risk Indicator tool to help facilitate these conversations. As these discussions are directly between managers and employees, the Treasury does not hold information on how many coronavirus individual risk assessments have been conducted. There are no plans to mandate coronavirus individual risk assessments.Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2021 to Question 81163 on Treasury: Working Hours, whether records required by Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998 are kept by HM Revenue and Customs for two years.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In line with Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998, HMRC keep records of staff working hours. Standard weekly working hours and patterns are recorded on the online HMRC HR system and the data, as well as any notification of changes to working hours or patterns, is retained until the staff are age 78. This is in accordance with the HMRC Departmental Retention and Disposal Policy.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are required to make payments under the Loan Charge as of 26 April 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC’s latest estimates of those affected by the Loan Charge are included in their GOV.UK publication titled Independent Loan Charge review: HMRC report on implementation.
As set out in this report, in January 2020, HMRC wrote to more than 55,000 individuals and employers who were identified as potentially affected by the Loan Charge. HMRC estimate the changes to the Loan Charge enacted in Finance Act 2020 took 11,000 people out of paying the charge altogether.
The report goes on to state that 5,600 employers and individuals settled their use of disguised remuneration schemes in the period to 30 September 2020.