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11 May 2006 : Column 414W—continued
Milk Industry
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the relationship between the levels of imports of milk and the purchase of milk from domestic producers. [66928]
Barry Gardiner: The Government have made no such assessment. The UK does not import significant quantities of liquid milk.
Reservoirs
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if he will list the reservoirs which have been closed and built over since 1997; [66449]
(2) what statutory requirements must be complied with in order to close and re-develop reservoirs. [66489]
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reservoirs have been closed in the last 15 years. [66967]
Ian Pearson: The Department does not hold information on the number of reservoirs closed or built over, either in respect of water company reservoirs or those in other ownership.
The closure and discontinuance of reservoirs subject to the Reservoirs Act 1975 has to be carried out under the supervision of specialist engineers appointed to operate under the Act. Redevelopment of the site would require planning permission.
Rural Payments Agency
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total running costs of the Rural Payments Agency and its predecessor were in each of the last three years. [63772]
Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is an Executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and was formed on 16 October 2001. The previous three years' costs therefore only relate to RPA.
RPA's gross running costs for these years were as follows:
| Amount (£ million) | |
| (1) Restated figure under merger accounting |
Further details are given in the accounts for these years (HC 940, HC 1009 and HC 82 respectively).
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the job description is of each member of the senior management team of the Rural Payments Agency; and if he will make a statement. [66700]
Barry Gardiner: The Chief Executive and other Directors make up the senior management team of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). In addition to the functions of the Chief Executive as Chief Accounting Officer, there are currently five Directors who work to individual performance-related objectives supporting the Agency's key performance targets. These cover RPA's Operations, Information Systems, Business Development, Finance and Resources and the provision of Legal Services. Their aims and objectives are outlined in the RPA's Annual Report and Accounts, last year’s copy of which is in the Library of the House.
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many outside contracts worth over £100,000 the Rural Payments Agency has awarded since 2001, broken down by (a) value, (b) recipient and (c) tender process. [66701]
Barry Gardiner: RPA acquires high value goods and services—where the value exceeds the EU directive threshold—either by tendering via OJEU and letting its own contracts, or by using contracts previously advertised by the OGC or other Government Departments.
The details of contracts worth over £100,000 the Rural Payments Agency has directly awarded since 2001 have been placed in the Library of the House.
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what staff turnover within the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) was in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [66702]
Barry Gardiner: The following table shows all starters and leavers by year commencing 1 April since 2001. "Leavers" includes those individuals who left on redundancy terms as part of the downsizing of RPA.
| Staff | Leavers | Starters | Percentage of increase/ decrease | |
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff there were within the Rural Payments Agency in each year since 2001, broken down by grade. [66703]
Barry Gardiner: The following table shows the average number of staff by grade employed by the Rural Payments Agency in each year commencing 1 April.
| Average number of staff in RPA since 2001 | |||||
| Grade | 2001-02( 1) | 2001-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
| (1) During this year the Intervention Board (IB) and key Regional Development Service (RDS) functions merged to form the Rural Payments Agency. Note: Information has been supplied in Financial Years. |
Single Farm Payments
Mr. Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the delivery of the single payment scheme and progress towards meeting the Government's target of 96 per cent. of payments to be made by the end of March. [58352]
Barry Gardiner: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). By the end of26 April 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) had been paid.
The remaining claims will be paid as soon as legally possible following the positive action set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s written statement on 16 March 2006, Official Report, column 104WS, and the written statement on 19 April 2006, Official Report, column 13WS.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Rural Payments Agency on the efficiency and accuracy of its computer systems; and whether the Agency has allocated the correct payments for each farm. [60484]
Barry Gardiner: My right hon. Friend the former Secretary of State and my noble Friend Lord Bach, had regular meetings with the acting chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) at which a range of issues surrounding the performance of the Agency were discussed. By the end of Wednesday 26 April, 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) had been paid under the single payment scheme. The RPA will consider any representations made by farmers about the accuracy of those or other payments made by the Agency and take corrective action where appropriate.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many eligible farmers in Beverley and Holderness are awaiting payment of outstanding single farm moneys due to them; what percentage of eligible farmers had received their full entitlement to the single farm payment as at 31 March 2006; and if he will make a statement. [63506]
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in Devon received payments under the Single Payment Scheme by 28 March; and how many are still to receive it. [63632]
David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made with payments to farmers in the East Midlands under the Single Payment Scheme. [66635]
Barry Gardiner: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). By the end of 26 April, 52,922 claims (44.10 per cent.) 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 whether the 2006 single farm payment application form was passed to the Plain English Campaign for editing before its despatch to farmers. [66174]
Barry Gardiner: The 2006 version of the single payment scheme handbook and guidance for England was not submitted to the Plain English Campaign for editing; however it was edited by the Central Office of Information. The application form was not.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances he will (a) make advance single farm scheme payments (SFSP) to farmers whose 2005 claims have been delayed for payment beyond 31 March 2006 and (b) pay interest on those SFSP claims which have been unreasonably delayed. [66175]
Barry Gardiner: The vast majority of farmers will have received either a full or partial single payment scheme (SPS) payment by 30 June 2006. As with predecessor schemes there will be some complex claims that will not be paid before 30 June.
The issue of interest payments or compensation does not arise as the EU regulations governing the scheme provide for a payment window that runs until 30 June.
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of single farm payments have been paid with respect to the financial year 2005-06. [66334]
Barry Gardiner [holding answer 27 April 2006]: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme. By close of business on 26 April 2006 some 52,922 claims to the 2005 Single Payment Scheme, representing 44.10 per cent. of total claimants had been paid.
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