HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Press Office does not deal with public or general enquiries, even if they are linked to recent articles published in the press.
If you do wish to contact HMRC about something you have seen in the newspapers, heard on the radio or seen on TV you should go to our Contact us pages. This will give you all the options for getting in touch.
The details that follow should only be used by journalists with media enquiries.
HMRC press office deal with all areas of the department's work and all media including national, regional, trade, print, broadcast and web.
Press officers are bound by the rules of confidentiality and are expressly forbidden - in common with all HMRC staff - from discussing details of individual taxpayers.
The regional press office team is supported by a countrywide network of local radio broadcasters who can take part in phone-ins on local radio or TV stations.
The press office aims to provide a helpful service to journalists and reply to all media enquiries within agreed deadlines. When we cannot meet a deadline we will inform the enquirer before the deadline expires.
We offer a 24 hour service with a duty press officer on call to help you with urgent enquiries out of hours.
HMRC administers a wide range of taxes and benefits and deals with a huge amount of subject material across the UK, the organisation of the Press Office aims to reflect this diversity.
Nationally there are three main desks to deal with press queries. These are:
There is also a News Strategy and Planning Desk that handles internal forward planning issues.
Regionally we are organised into two teams, these teams should be the first point of contact for all regional press enquiries.
The Press Office structure is as follows:
Income Tax; Self Assessment; Savings and Investment; Share Options; Inheritance Tax; Data Loss/Security; HMRC Powers/Charter; Trusts/Wealth unit; Employee PAYE and National Insurance, share options, Stamp Duty, Residency/Domicile, Offshore, pensions, charities, Gift Aid/payroll giving; Benefits in Kind; contact centres, Departmental Interest Rates; NAO and PAC reports, Capital Gains Tax and other issues.
Senior Press Officer
Patrick O’Brien
Tel: 020 7147 2318
Press Officers:
Andrew Bennett
Tel: 020 7147 0051
Corporation Tax; Large Business Service; Employers PAYE & NIC holidays, Customs Duties, Agents, VAT, Excise Duties; Construction Industry Scheme, Environmental Taxes, REITS; Hedge Funds; IR35/Managed Service Companies, admin burdens, Tax Treaties, BPSS, Debt Management, Bank Levy, bankruptcy, Anti Avoidance, compliance and other business issues.
Senior Press Officer
Helen Jones
Tel: 020 7147 2328
Press Officer
Jan Marszewski
Tel: 020 7147 0798
HR issues; Workforce Change; HiPG; Estates; tax credits; Child Trust Fund; Child Benefit; MTIC and other VAT fraud; National Minimum Wage; Money Laundering and POCA; alcohol, tobacco, oils; Internal Governance and Security; weapons/strategic exports; criminal investigation; student loans; IT issues and other enforcement and compliance issues.
Senior Press Officer
Jonathan Hall
Tel: 020 7147 0052
Press Officers:
Sara Pont
Tel: 020 7147 0394
Head of Regional News
Clare Merrills
Tel: 07979 806393
Martin McDonnell
Tel: 02890 562 604
Northern Ireland
Press Officer
Avril Clydesdale
Tel: 02890 562 718
Scotland
Press Officer
Ron Barrie
Tel: 0131 777 4010
Wales
Press Officer
Kathryn Corcoran
Tel: 02920 325 177
North West
Press Officer
Helen Danson
Tel: 0151 703 1309
North East
Press Officer
Michelle Potts
Tel: 0191 225 3903
Bob Gaiger
Tel: 01404 811 532
Midlands
Press Officer
Jennie Kendall
Tel: 07810 815 832
London and South East & Thames Valley
Press Officer
Georgina Myles (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
Tel: 07748 931 504
South West & South
Press Officer
Lisa Billard
Tel: 02380 797 587
East
Press Officer
Maddy Ratnett
Tel: 01733 232 391
Local Radio Broadcaster (LRB) Team Manager
Cliff Hathaway
Tel: 01782 683 698
Senior Press Officer
Paul Mathews
Tel: 020 7147 0803
Senior Press Officer
Sandra Smith-Hughes
Tel: 020 7147 2336
Press Officers:
Cosima Duggal
Tel: 020 7147 2320
Tel: 020 7147 2332
Please note that there is a single contact number for all emergency out-of-hours national and regional media enquiries, which operates outside of normal office hours (9.00 am to 6.00 pm, Monday to Friday), Tel 07860 359 544.
