Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contractors are engaged by HMRC to work on the implementation of the Customs Declaration Service.

HMRC currently has 63 contingent labour contractors working on the Customs Declaration Service. The number of contractors working on the programme has varied considerably over time. HMRC only employs contractors when there is a clearly identifiable skills gap that it cannot fill within the existing staff resources at its disposal.