HMRC

For end of year purposes our accountants have asked for breakdown information of VAT and PAYE payments we've made from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs just to tally with our own figures. So I phone up the number on the VAT return form and ask for one.

"Ah you need to make a request to our Written Enquiries team"
"Can't I just ask for one over the phone?"
"No they need it writing"
"Heh this is the 21st Century you know. Will this be VAT and PAYE?
"No just VAT, for PAYE you need to talk to the Inland Revenue"
"Um isn't this HM Revenue & Customs you did merge didn't you?"
"Yeah but it's still separate departments"
"So what was the point of the merger"
"I don't know"

Anyway it turns out I can fax the Written Enquiries team for a statement that they'll post out to us, she also gave me a number for the Inland Revenue section...

"Oh this is for individual PAYE payments not company ones"

Another number is given which asks me to select between two option that don't apply to us. I reach for the PAYE payment book, as perhaps I should have done in the first place, and call the number there, navigate the menu, and reach someone.

"I'm just after a breakdown of payments for our accountants"
"For the last year?"
"Yeah"
"Okay do you want me to read them out over the phone to you, or put them in the post"
"Heh the post would be better I think"
"Okay I'll send those out now"
"What you don't need me to write in or anything?"
"No we can do it all over the phone"
"You're much better than the VAT people they needed things in writing"
"No we can just do it over the phone"

So still different departments that do things in different ways and as I ask above the reason for the merger was...?