HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS JOB CUTS IN WALES

That this House is greatly concerned at HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) announcement of plans to cut 1,000 jobs in Wales over the next five years; notes that many of these cuts will take place in deprived EU convergence funding areas, where the local economy can ill afford the loss of high quality public sector jobs; laments the trend towards centralisation and remoteness of service delivery; further notes that reducing local staffing to a skeletal level is unlikely to provide a better level of service for local people, particularly in remote areas where there is little possibility of staff transferring to other HMRC offices; is concerned that the cuts will undermine the efficiency of HMRC and its capacity to collect Government revenue; and calls on the Government to reconsider these ill-advised plans.