Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average wait time is for calls to be answered by HMRC; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce this.

HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a monthly basis and can be accessed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2024-to-2025

HMRC received additional funding last year to recruit more customer service advisers to help improve telephony performance. HMRC are also investing in digital services and the HMRC app. These can often provide customers with faster resolutions for straightforward matters. By encouraging more customers to self-serve online, HMRC advisers will be freed up to focus on those customers who need the most support.