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Revenue and Customs

Volume 506: debated on Monday 1 March 2010

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the objectives are of the (a) pensions simplification, (b) tax credits, (c) taxpayer understanding, (d) web convergence, (e) integrated customer management, (f) data quality and (g) customer foundations change and improvement programme under HM Revenue and Customs' Departmental Transformation Programme. (316944)

The information requested is as follows:

Pensions Simplification

This programme was part of the Government's agenda to reform pensions to encourage more people to save for their retirement, and to reduce the compliance costs of the pensions industry. The programme successfully delivered an online service in two phases. The first was completed in April 2006 and provided online registration for new pension schemes. The second, in April 2007, delivered an online service to file pension scheme returns.

Tax Credits

This programme was established to deliver targeted service improvements, to help customers get their claim right and improve the customer experience. It is still in progress.

Taxpayer Understanding

This was a research project to gain a detailed understanding of customer behaviour. This programme was originally a strand from the Customer Foundations programme and closed in March 2008.

Web Convergence

This programme was developed to transform the Department's website to converge content with the cross-Government portals, Directgov and Businesslink. The Businesslink Convergence programme is still in progress, and due to complete by April 2011.

Integrated Customer Management

This programme was designed to deliver services and processes structured around the customer to improve efficiency, compliance and the customer experience; it was closed in February 2007.

Data Quality

This programme was designed to improve data integrity and facilitate the merger of data in legacy systems; it was closed in March 2007.

Customer Foundations Change and Improvement (also known as Customer Foundations)

This programme was developed to help drive organisational and operational change, to deliver transformed services to customers, reduce cost and improve compliance. The programme ran from October 2006 and closed in March 2007.