Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 314: To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Revenue Commissioners have developed enhanced management services for customers since 2000; if they can facilitate on-line banking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10128/06]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that in recent years the Revenue Commissioners have taken advantage of developments in technology to deliver more and enhanced facilities for customers. There are three main areas where Revenue has developed services with a strong customer focus, the Revenue on-line service, ROS, the Revenue website and their telephony service.

The Revenue on-line service offers customers or their agents the facility to make returns and payments for a range of taxes and duties including corporation tax, employer's PAYE-PRSI and income tax for self-employed customers. Further services offered to customers registered for ROS include the facility to view details of payments made, returns filed or due, information provided in the original registration for tax with Revenue and details of all debts due to Revenue. ROS can also be used to request statements of account.

Future plans for ROS will see the following services being made available to PAYE customers during 2006: view-amend tax credits, view-request balancing statements, make a claim for health expenses and up-date personal information such as address details. Revenue allows payment by debit instruction and laser card through its on-line facility. There is an on-line banking payment facility for self-employed customers paying income tax and for customers paying capital gains tax. To use this facility, a ROS registered customer, or their tax agent, details the amount of their payment and choice of payment method on-line with ROS. A separate transaction is then undertaken on the relevant banking on-line website, to authorise the payment to Revenue. Only after these actions are completed will the customer's bank account be debited by Revenue, so the customer controls how much and when payment is made at all times.

In addition to ROS, Revenue has also developed its website, www.revenue.ie, to offer a range of facilities to customers. The website is a useful source of information relating to taxes and duties and is tailored to suit the needs of business and the individual. It allows the customers to order forms, apply for tax clearance and claim tax credits. The site is continually updated to ensure relevance.

The third area where Revenue has made significant improvements is in its telephony service. Over the past 12 months, Revenue has substantially improved its telephone service to PAYE customers. Customers have available to them self-service options to request the most popular PAYE forms and leaflets and to claim for certain tax credits rather than waiting to speak to an operator. A PAYE text messaging service is also available. It enables the customer to request certain PAYE forms and leaflets and to claim certain PAYE tax credits using their mobile phone. In 2005, more than 100,000 transactions were successfully completed using the available self-service options. Future plans for telephone self-service in 2006 include the ability to monitor progress of correspondence submitted to Revenue.

I am satisfied that Revenue has been, and continues to be, progressive in delivering enhanced facilities to its customers.