IHTM02000 - Communications: contents
Summary
Summary |
Confidentiality and disclosure of information
Introduction |
Legislation
Finance Act 1989 |
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Data Protection Act 1984 |
The general rule on disclosure and its operation
Disclosure - the general rule and its operation |
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Who is entitled to disclosure? |
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Disclosing information to public bodies |
Incoming telephone calls
Introduction |
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What to request on answering the telephone |
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Dealing with incoming telephone calls |
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Requests for information on an incoming telephone call |
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Procedure where it is not possible to verify a caller's identity from the information held on file |
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Effect of these rules on customer service |
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Requests for information over the telephone from other government departments |
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Summary - Business By Telephone (BBT) Helpcard |
Procedure for disclosure of information
Introduction |
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How to deal with requests for information |
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Charging for provision of information |
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Limited disclosure for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) purposes |
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Extent of disclosure for CGT purposes |
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Disclosure of information about aggregable property |
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Disclosure of information obtained from tax returns |
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Disclosure of information obtained under double taxation agreements |
Open Government/Freedom of information
The Freedom of Information Act |
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Providing taxpayers with extracts from the manual |
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Correspondence
General instructions about correspondence
Introduction |
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Receiving and filing of correspondence |
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Delay and priorities in dealing with correspondence |
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Special Commissioners and First -tier Tribunal decisions and contentious correspondence |
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File weeding |
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Civil Partnerships: Notes on terminology and language |
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Original documents |
Incoming correspondence
Acknowledgements/holding letters |
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Letters addressed personally |
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Requests for payment of a fee by this Office for copying lost documents |
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Avoidance of other taxes |
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Members of the Royal Family |
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Outgoing correspondence
Names and addresses of correspondents |
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Format of outgoing correspondence |
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Envelopes |
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Postal system for mainland UK, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man |
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Postal system for all countries outside the UK |
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Reply paid envelopes |
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Recorded delivery service or registered post |
Inter-departmental mail
Van services |
British Document Exchange
What is British Document Exchange? |
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When to use British Document Exchange |
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Document exchange numbers of IHT |
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Treatment of outgoing document exchange mail |
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Document exchange directories |
Use of Microsoft Word templates and standard letters
Word templates available in HMRC, Inheritance Tax |
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Standard letter template |
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Accessing and using Microsoft Word templates |
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Link between COMPASS and the standard letter template |
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Inserting standard text |
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Points to bear in mind when using standard text |
Personal applicants
Seeing things from the personal applicants viewpoint |
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Writing effective letters to personal applicants |
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Telephone conversations with personal applicants |
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Potential areas of difficulty |
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Cases involving agents where the personal representative becomes involved |
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Summary |
Taxpayers with disabilities/special needs
Introduction |
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Services to blind and partially sighted taxpayers |
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Services to deaf and hearing impaired taxpayers |
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Services for non-English speaking taxpayers |
General enquiries
Helpline |
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Advice and information; code of practice 10 |
Use of telephones
Introduction |
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Use of the telephone |
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Points to remember when answering the telephone |
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Telephone calls that get cut off |
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Noting of telephone calls |
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Disclosure of confidential information |
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'Off the record' telephone conversations |
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Use of fax machines
When to fax a document and what can and cannot be sent |
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Documents that are unacceptable if sent by fax |
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What priority to give faxed documents |
Use of e-mail
The Government Secure Intranet (GSI) |
Use of interviews
Use of interviews |
Handling of complaints/compliments
What is a complaint? |
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Procedure upon receiving a complaint |
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Telephone complaints |
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Handling a complaint |
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Financial redress, interest remission and payments for worry and distress |
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Delays and mistakes |
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Bad handling of a complaint |
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Correspondence from MPs |
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Judicial review |
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Compliments |
Translations and non-English speaking customers
Translations |
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Welsh translations |
Customer service standards
Customer service targets |
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Definitions of 'post' and 'dealt with' |
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Customer service benefits of efficient handling of work |
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Monitoring of post turnaround times |
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Over 15 working day post |
