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HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Edinburgh Regional Centre and UK Government hub has recently been opened by secretary of state for Scotland, Alister Jack MP.
The news comes as the seven-storey government hub initially opened its doors to some civil servants during the pandemic in September 2020. On the building’s second anniversary this year, the building was formally declared open.
The new office is located at 1 Sibbald Walk and houses around 2,200 full-time equivalent HMRC staff and 640 civil servants from 24 other UK government departments and agencies.
It is reported that other departments share the building with HMRC including The Scotland Office, which moved from Melville Street, the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland and the Department for International Trade.
In addition, staff working from the site are said to have made a “considerable” contribution to the country by working on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which according to the government, helped protect more than 910,000 jobs in Scotland, including 87,500 jobs in Edinburgh.
HMRC also has a regional centre in Glasgow and a specialist site at Gartcosh. Earlier this year, the department also announced they would retain a long-term presence in East Kilbride, which will become phase two of the Glasgow Regional Centre.
Alister Jack MP, secretary of state for Scotland, said: “It’s a privilege to officially open Queen Elizabeth House, the UK Government’s state-of-the-art hub in the heart of Edinburgh.
“This flagship building will provide a base for more than a dozen UK Government departments which all have a key role in Scotland.”
He added: “It is a fantastic facility and a huge asset as we engage with stakeholders, invest in communities and serve the people of Scotland.”
