HM REVENUE AND
CUSTOMS News Release (Ref:SPEC 15/08) issued by COI News
Distribution Service. 30 October 2008
Over 170,000
agents have called HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Agents
Dedicated Lines (ADLs) since they started being rolled out three
months ago.
With the last line going live today (30 October) agents
throughout the country will receive a more efficient telephone
service from HMRC.
By ringing the number that deals with their clients'
records, agents will get to speak to a well-trained adviser who
can help with difficult and complex issues. And if the query
cannot be answered straight away, there is an immediate escalation
route to a specialist within HMRC.
This new service has been developed with support and
encouragement from HMRC's professional partners involved in
Working Together (the partnership between HMRC and the main agent
representative bodies).
Brian Redford, Head of HMRC's Agents and Employers Service
Improvement Programme, said:
"Agents told us that they needed telephone lines that
offered them a service catered for their specific needs. These
dedicated numbers will help us improve the service we offer and
we've already had positive feedback from agents who have used
the lines. We've handled over 170,000 calls from agents in
the three months since the lines opened.
"The dedicated lines are part of the work of the Agents and
Employers Service Improvement Programme (AESIP) which aims to
ensure that tax agents see a real difference in their interaction
with HMRC."
The lines are intended for all enquiries on taxpayer specific
calls about Self Assessment (for individuals and partnership
matters) and Pay as you Earn (PAYE).
The agents section on the HMRC website - hmrc.gov.uk/agents -
holds information, guidance and news specifically for agents and,
following customer feedback, has been improved to make it easier
to use.
Agents can also get the latest news from HMRC by signing up to
its instant news alert service (RSS). It is easy to subscribe -
just go to http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/agents/news-agents.htm
Notes for editors
The Contact Centres dealing with specific processing areas are:
ADL Number Areas 0845 366 7880 Berkshire
Cornwall and Plymouth
Devon North Wales
Somerset
South Wales
West Wales
0845 366 7895 East Lancashire
Merseyside Sefton
West Lancashire and West Cheshire
0845 366 7855 Chapel Wharf
East Cheshire and South Lancashire
Midlands West
North West Midlands and Shropshire
Staffordshire
0845 366 7896 Greater Belfast
Northern Ireland Counties
0845 366 7852 Bournemouth
Bristol and North Somerset
Dorset and South Wiltshire
East Hampshire and Wight
Kent
Surrey and North Hampshire
Sussex
West Hampshire
0845 366 7823 Cumbria Humber
North East Metropolitan
North Yorkshire
Northumbria
Tees Valley
Wear and South Tyne
0845 366 7837 Cambridgeshire
Scotland Central
Scotland East (Ex London & Glenrothes)
Scotland North
Scotland South
Scotland West
North West Lancashire
0845 366 7834 Bedfordshire and West Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire and West Essex
Lothians
0845 366 7854 Central Yorkshire
Leicester & Northants RACS
Lincolnshire
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
South Yorks
0845 366 7857 Birmingham and Solihull
Gloucester and North Wiltshire
South Wales (Oxford)
Warwickshire and Coventry
Worcester and Hereford
Manchester
0845 366 7897 Leicester and Northants
Oxon and Buckinghamshire
Centre 1 0845 366 7898 Norfolk
South Essex
Suffolk and North Essex
West Yorkshire and Craven
Issued by HM Revenue & Customs Press Office
Press
enquiries only please contact:
Tel: 020 7147 0051/2318
Website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk