National Closer Working Strategy

Background

The Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise are developing a closer working relationship in all areas of their operations to achieve continuous improvements to their effectiveness in policy development, encouraging voluntary compliance and customer service; and their efficiency in support services. This approach is endorsed by the 'Modernising Government' White Paper, which laid down the objective for Government Departments to work together to meet the needs of customers and businesses.

There is a detailed Closer Working Programme plan in support of this strategy.

Strategic Goal

To maximise harmonisation of business tax activities consistent with the other priorities of each organisation. It is expected that measurable benefits will stem from:

  • Compliance Synergies - combining skills and data to improve assurance and tackle fraud; and
  • Service Synergies - utilising each other's skills and data, creating higher quality interfaces with business to improve customer service.

In particular Closer Working aims to:

  • Protect the tax base by detecting, countering and deterring non-compliance
  • Develop a better understanding of and better relationship with businesses to enable voluntary compliance
  • Use each other's complementary strengths to increase our professionalism in delivering a high standard of service
  • Inform and influence the development of taxation policy and legislation
  • Be open to opportunities across Government which may help delivery of our strategic goal

High Level Outcomes

Closer Working will bring:

  • Greater effectiveness through joined up policy making across both departments so that ministers receive consistent, coherent and comprehensive policy advice;
  • Improved customer service, through a more co-ordinated, responsive, better quality service that meets the needs of business and individuals, thus enabling them to comply with their obligations;
  • A more effective approach to tackling non compliance; and
  • Greater efficiency and effectiveness in our support services, by sharing good
    practice and facilities, to maintain and improve standards and value for
    money.

Strategic Approach

The Closer Working Strategy will be delivered through three broad areas of activity:

  • Specific Closer Working Projects
  • Local/Regional Liaison and Activity
  • Joint Policy Development

These are covered in more detail in the Closer Working Programme Plan.

Programme constraints

  • Use of existing IT infrastructure across the IR and C&E
  • Differing staffing, pay and grading structures across the IR and C&E
  • Resource availability across both IR and C&E
  • Differing financial accounting structures across the IR and C&E
  • Organisational changes across both IR and C&E
  • Legal boundaries of Closer Working - impact on ability to exchange information
  • Legislative changes to allow for joint working e.g. Debt Management and Banking operations

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Stakeholders

Inland Revenue
Nick Montagu - Chairman
Ann Chant - Deputy Chairman
Stephen Banyard - Director, Local Services

HM Customs & Excise
Richard Broadbent - Chairman
Mike Norgrove - Director, Large Business
Ray McAfee - Director, Regional Business Service

2. Deliverers

The following have been identified as key enablers in the delivery of Closer
Working. Through them operational staff will deliver the strategic outcomes
across both Departments:

  • Director, Closer Working
  • Closer Working Programme Team
  • IR/C&E Senior Directors & Operational Managers
  • Closer Working Project Managers
  • Regional Closer Working Managers

Specifically they will:

  • Manage and promote closer working
  • Support delivery of closer working
  • Work to facilitate removal of any boundaries to closer working (where appropriate)
  • Initiate new areas/methods for closer working
  • Measure and evaluate the effectiveness of closer working
  • Manage communications on closer working

Further details on the roles and responsibilities of the above people are detailed
in the Closer Working Programme Plan.

Structure

A Closer Working Programme organisational structure chart is detailed at Annex A.

Processes

The Closer Working Programme Plan outlines processes for managing the programme including finance, risks, issues and benefits.

Communication

The Closer Working Programme Plan outlines processes for managing Closer Working communications at all levels. The aim is to inform and support customers and staff within both departments in language and media accessible and appropriate to all.

Evaluation

The Programme will be evaluated utilising a number of indicators. Success will be measured in terms of:

  • the outcomes of individual Closer Working project evaluations
  • achievement of Public Service Agreement and Service Delivery Agreement targets for Closer Working

And improvements in:

  • the IR Customer Service Performance Indicator
  • C&E Customer Needs Survey results
  • joint compliance costs survey results
  • compliance results across both departments
  • feedback from Ministers, professional financial/legal advisors and customer
    representatives

Graphic showing organisation chart from senior responsible officer