JOB LOSSES AT HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS

That this House calls on the Government to stop its programme of job cuts in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); notes that the Public Accounts Committee has reported that 1.1 billion could have been collected if it were not for the job cuts; is deeply concerned by HMRC's appointment of two private sector suppliers, Sitel and Teleperformance, to conduct 12-month trials of their telephony advice services, based in HMRC's contact centres at Bathgate, Scotland and Lilyhall, Cumbria; recognises that this adds insult to injury to permanent HMRC staff already suffering from low morale and concerned about losing their jobs; further recognises that the taxpaying public will be concerned about private companies having access to personal tax records and expects that sensitive data is held confidentially and securely; believes that cutting staff by 10,000 by 2014-15 and continuing to close offices as planned will significantly harm the performance of HMRC and its ability to tackle tax avoidance and evasion; and therefore calls on the Government to reverse these damaging cuts.