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30 Mar 2006 : Column 1102W—continued
Single Farm Payment
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have received their single farm payments to date. [58351]
Jim Knight: By the end of 17 March 10,116 Single Payment Scheme claims had been paid.
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effect of delays in single farm payments on non-farming businesses in rural communities. [58354]
Jim Knight: Non-farming businesses in rural communities may be affected by cash flow issues faced by some farming business. All sections of the rural community will, therefore, have welcomed the positive action the Department is taking to ensure payments under the Single Payment Scheme are made as soon as legally possible, as set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's written statement on 16 March 2006, Official Report, column 104WS.
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of farmers have (a) received their single farm payment entitlement statement and (b) had their statement validated. [58355]
Jim Knight: Almost all of the 120,000 farmers who submitted a claim to the 2005 Single Payment Scheme have received their entitlement statements. Around a third have validated statements.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on the administration of the single farm payments scheme in Lancashire. [58448]
Jim Knight: The Rural Payments Agency responds to all correspondence relating to the single payment scheme. As the scheme is not administered on a regional basis, it does not hold records on representations specific to Lancashire.
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider making interest payments in cases where single farm payments are delayed by failure to validate the mapping of farms. [58465]
Jim Knight [holding answer 14 March 2006]: The issue of compensation does not arise as the EU regulations governing the scheme provide for a payment window that runs until 30 June. It is now March. Farmers have been aware for more than 12 months that payments would not be made before February 2006.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments were made in February; how many payments have been made in March; how many letters of confirmation of the amount of single farm payments have been sent to farmers; what percentage of the
30 Mar 2006 : Column 1103W
calculations of the amount of payment have been shown to be inaccurate; and when she expects all valid applicants to receive a correct letter advising the amount of their payment. [58628]
Jim Knight: A total of 2,400 single payment scheme payments were processed and released in February, the last of which were in bank accounts by 2 March. By the end of 17 March, 10,116 claims had been paid. All those farmers receiving payment have received a payment statement setting out details of its value, including any deductions. Queries on the value of payments are being dealt with as they arise. Payment statements are sent as claims are authorised.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of delays in the single farm payment on the supply chain within the farming industry; and whether she has had discussions on compensation for creditors. [60485]
Jim Knight: To the extent that the agricultural supply industry has been affected by the cash-flow issues faced by some farming business, it should welcome the positive action the Department is taking to ensure payments under the Single Payment Scheme are made as soon as legally possible, as set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's written statement on 16 March 2006, Official Report, column 104WS. The issue of compensation does not arise as the EU regulations governing the scheme provide for a payment window that runs until 30 June. It is now March. Farmers have been aware for more than 12 months that payments would not be made before February 2006.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of single farm payments have been made; how many payments have not been made because of invalid returns; and how many payments have yet to be made. [59057]
Jim Knight: 120,367 applications were received for the single payment scheme. By the end of 17 March 2006, 10,116 (8.43 per cent.) claims had been paid.
The claims still to be made will include a number of invalid returns. The Rural Payments Agency is unable at this stage to quantify the number.
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of claims made for the inaugural single farm payment have had letters of entitlements from her Department declared invalidated. [59349]
Jim Knight: Approximately two thirds of entitlement statements were issued to Single Payment Scheme applicants whose claims had not completed full validation.
Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with contractors providing digital maps for single farm payments in the past six months. [59453]
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Jim Knight: [holding answer 17 March 2006]: The Rural Payments Agency are in daily contact with the contractors undertaking the digitisation. The contractor also provides a weekly progress report.
Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payment cases are delayed due to digital mapping errors; and if she will make a statement. [59454]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 March 2006]: Single payment scheme claims are validated against a number of factors and a claim may have many reasons for being invalidated. Those claims invalidated due to mapping errors are not separately identified.
Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for single farm payments have been received to date (a) in total and (b) from the county of Devon; and what percentage of these have been paid. [59455]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 March 2006]: 120,367 applications were received for the single payment Scheme. By the end of 17 March 2006, 10,116 (8.43 per cent.) claims had been paid.
The Rural Payments Agency does not have data available on a regional basis, as the scheme is not administered in this way.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments were made to farmers in (a) England and (b) Somerset in the week ending (i) 24 February, (ii) 3 March, (iii) 10 March and (iv) 17 March. [59909]
Jim Knight: The number of Single Payment Scheme claims paid are as follows:
(b) The Rural Payments Agency does not have data available on a regional basis, as the scheme is not administered in this way.
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Parliament on the average single farm payment to be received by farmers with farms of comparable sizes. [60058]
Jim Knight: The Defra ministerial team meets regularly with Ministers from the Devolved Administrations, when the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) is a regular topic of discussion. The model of the SPS adopted in England is different to that in Wales and Scotland, so direct comparisons with regard to the size of payments would not be very meaningful.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single payment scheme applications have been received from Bath constituency; and how many of those applications have received validated payments. [60509]
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Jim Knight: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme. By the end of 17 March 2006, 10,116 (8.43 per cent.) claims had been paid.
The Rural Payments Agency does not have data available on a regional basis, as the scheme is not administered in this way.
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