Perceptions of Aspire's performance
2.17 Staff and management have been reasonably satisfied with the Aspire service. HMRC randomly surveys around 5 per cent of its staff each quarter to measure satisfaction with Aspire. The results are reported on a scale of one to six (where six is good) and show that staff satisfaction has fluctuated within a fairly narrow band between 3.6 and 4.4 (Figure 7).
2.18 These survey results are consistent with a regular assessment by HMRC management of Aspire's support for key business events. Since 2007-08, HMRC has identified between 15 and 18 key business events in each year. These include the peak period for submitting self-assessment tax returns and for sending Pay As You Earn tax codes to employers. For each event, detailed criteria for good performance are developed in advance and actual performance is then assessed by senior managers. HMRC told us that since 2006-07, there has been only one year, 2010-11, when Aspire suppliers have not performed satisfactorily against these criteria. In 2010-11, failings were reported in the printing of self-assessment returns and tax credit renewals.
| Figure 7 Satisfaction of HMRC staff has fluctuated but is generally positive
Notes 1 Since November 2006, the ICT department within HMRC has randomly surveyed 5 per cent of staff. They are asked to score performance of ICT services on a scale of one to six (where six is good). Response rate varies but is typically around 30 per cent. 2 The exact dates of the survey varied in earlier years, but from 2012 have followed a regular quarterly pattern. 3 Scores have been rounded to one decimal place. Source: HM Revenue & Customs |
