Dear HM Revenue and Customs,

I am writing to submit a follow-up request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, further to my initial request dated 19 January 2024 (Ref: FOI2024/04023) and your subsequent response dated 23 February 2024.

While I appreciate the information provided regarding the general compensation practices and the existence of non-consolidated performance awards for Senior Civil Servants (SCS), I noted that my specific query regarding the presence of tax revenue increase objectives within the performance assessment criteria, particularly for SCS within the Debt Management and Counter Avoidance divisions, was not directly addressed.

Therefore, I would like to request the following additional information:

1. SCS Performance Objectives in Specific Divisions: Are there specific performance objectives related to increasing tax revenues set for Senior Civil Servants within the Debt Management and Counter Avoidance divisions of HMRC? If so, please provide:
a) A brief description of these objectives.
b) How these objectives are integrated into the overall performance assessment and
reward framework for SCS.

2. Evaluation and Reward Criteria:
How are the achievements against these objectives evaluated, and what impact do they have on the determination of non-consolidated performance awards for SCS in these divisions?

3. Annual Outcome Data:
Can you provide any anonymized data or summaries that reflect the achievement of these objectives over the past fiscal years, specifically relating to the enhancement of tax receipts by the Debt Management and Counter Avoidance divisions?

I understand the sensitivity surrounding performance objectives and the need for confidentiality. Therefore, I am willing to accept summarized or anonymized data that can provide insight into how performance related to tax revenue objectives is assessed and rewarded, without compromising individual privacy or security concerns.

I appreciate your attention to this follow-up request and look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Gary Tinker

Dear Information Rights Unit,

Thank you for your update.
However, by law HMRC should have responded by the 2nd of April 2024 and this date was not met.
HMRC have now sent a belated response a week later on the 8th of April stating that they are taking more time.

Suggesting that HMRC will let me know if it cannot respond within the next fortnight is not acceptable. There isn't even a date by which HMRC are committing to provide this data.

Please explain the reason for the delay.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Tinker

Dear Information Rights Unit,

On the 8/4/2024 you advised me that you would provide the information or advice within a fortnight.
The fortnight has expired and you have still not provided the information requested nor an update on why you are failing to meet the requirements of the law.

I am disappointed that HMRC believe themselves to be above the law.

This issue will be raised with the Information Commissioner’s Office and my MP.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Tinker

Dear Information Rights Unit,

It is today the 1/5/2024.
This FOI was raised on the 29/2/2024. HMRC continue to break the law in not providing the information requested within the 20 days specified.
HMRC have failed to even meet their own schedule of an update within a fortnight of the 8/4/2024.

Please provide the information requested forthwith.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Tinker

Dear Information Rights Unit,

HMRC is breaking the law by not providing this information.

On the 13th May 2024 HMRC received an email from the Information Commissioner with the following instructions.

• provide a substantive response to this request within 10 working
days and copy that response to this office at
icocasework @ ico.org.uk, or
• confirm that a response to this request has already been sent and
provide a copy of that response to this office.

The 10 working days expired and now (30/5/2024) the Information Commissioner has issued a decision notice

• The public authority must provide a substantive response to the request in
accordance with its obligations under FOIA.
• The public authority must take this step within 30 calendar days of the date
of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner
making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section
54 of FOIA and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.

This email maintains the audit trail of events demonstrating HMRC's total disregard for the law.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Tinker

Dear Information Rights Unit,

I am writing to further clarify and expand upon my previous Freedom of Information request (Ref: FOI2024/21271) regarding performance objectives for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) within the Debt Management and Counter Avoidance divisions.

While I appreciate your response that current SCS officials within these teams do not have objectives related to 'increasing tax revenues', I am interested in understanding if such objectives were part of the performance criteria in the past.

Accordingly, I would like to request the following information:

Historical Performance Objectives:

Were there any specific performance objectives related to increasing tax revenues set for Senior Civil Servants within the Debt Management and Counter Avoidance divisions in the past five years? If yes, please provide:
A brief description of these objectives.
The period during which these objectives were active.
Integration and Evaluation:

How were these objectives integrated into the overall performance assessment and reward framework for SCS during the specified period?
How were achievements against these historical objectives evaluated, and what impact did they have on the determination of non-consolidated performance awards for SCS?
Outcome Data:

Can you provide any anonymized data or summaries that reflect the achievement of these objectives over the specified period, specifically relating to the enhancement of tax receipts by the Debt Management and Counter Avoidance divisions?
I understand the need for confidentiality and am willing to accept summarized or anonymized data to ensure privacy and security concerns are maintained.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

Gary Tinker