Committee publication · Correspondence · 11 February 2026
Correspondence from the Chair to HMRC following oral evidence session, dated 23 January 2026
From: Treasury Committee
Inquiry: Work of HM Revenue and Customs
Summary
Chair of the Treasury Committee writes to HMRC's First Permanent Secretary following oral evidence on 13 January 2026, requesting detailed responses on six substantive issues: child benefit suspension numbers, fraud-tackling effectiveness by type, corporation tax relief evaluation, progress on staff recruitment (5,500 compliance and 2,500 debt management), Class 2 National Insurance overcharging, and Simple Assessment problems. Committee requests quarterly updates on recruitment and tax relief evaluations.
Key findings
- Committee seeks HMRC's latest estimate of people affected by incorrect child benefit payment suspensions
- Committee requests comprehensive evaluation of fraud-tackling by type, including resources invested, revenue raised, and lessons learned from process failures
- Committee asks for HMRC evaluation of non-structural Corporation tax reliefs (Patent Box, R&D credits) and comparison with academic research on costs and benefits
- Committee seeks progress update on recruitment of 5,500 compliance staff and 2,500 debt management staff, specifically identifying staff hired using £89 million from Autumn Budget 2025
- Committee investigates Class 2 Primary National Insurance overcharging affecting 10,000-20,000 taxpayers filing 2024-25 Self-Assessment returns, and Simple Assessment issues causing overpayment of tax
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Dame Meg Hillier MP, John-Paul Marks CB, HM Revenue and Customs, Treasury Committee
Notable line
“Please could you clearly identify the number of additional debt management staff that have been recruited so far as a result of the £89 million of additional funding announced at Autumn Budget 2025?”
Key Quotes
“What is HMRC's evaluation of how effectively it is tackling different types of fraud?”
“In line with the Committee's usual practice, I will be placing this letter and your response in the public domain.”
“Please could you send the Committee an update every three months, and ensure that updates arrive before Committee sessions where they coincide.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗