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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what delays there have been in paying applicants under the rural payment schemes; and if she will make a statement. [82516] Alun Michael: The current position with paying applicants under rural payment schemes is as follows: Arable Area Payments Scheme 2002 The payment window opened on 16 November 2002 and closes on 31 January 2003. Over 40 per cent. of payments for over £700m have already been dispatched to producers, and the expectation is that most producers should receive their payments significantly before the deadline. Bovine Schemes Under European Community legislation the Rural Payments Agency is obliged to cross-check all animals claimed under the various bovine subsidy schemes against the British Cattle Movement Service Cattle Tracing System (CTS). Cross-checks must be carried out to verify that all scheme rules are met and to ensure payments are only made on those animals that are correctly identified in accordance with the council regulations governing cattle identification. When the cross-check of data was carried out a large number of discrepancies was identified between the information submitted on claim forms and that recorded on the CTS. The sheer scale of these discrepancies and the time taken to resolve them has resulted in around 19 per cent of unpenalised claims being paid after the statutory deadline of 30 June. Producers who have experienced delays in receiving their 2001 scheme year bovine balance payments beyond 30 June as a result of a failure by the Agency or the British Cattle Movement Service will be compensated. The Agency is still finalising how the arrangement will be implemented. However, compensation will not be paid in any other circumstances. This would include for example, payment delayed because the Cattle Tracing System database had not been notified of changes prior to cross-checks being undertaken. The Sheep Annual Premium Scheme The payment window for the Sheep Annual Premium Scheme opened on 16 October 2002 and closes on 31 March 2003. 97per cent of the premium and national envelope top up payments were issued in the first few days of the opening of the payment window. In addition, 8,044 producers (95per cent. of those qualifying for the less favoured area supplement) have now received the supplementary payment amounting to £13 million. England Rural Development Programme The majority of ERDP scheme claims are currently being paid within published targets.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

82516; 395 c53-4W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Agriculture Cattle Administrative delays Livestock industry Subsidies Beef premiums Arable area payments scheme Sheep premiums Rural development programme

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk