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5 Jun 2006 : Column 160W—continued


RPA launched a CSC on 14 February 2005. This was done to streamline single payment scheme and customer registration telephone enquiries into the agency through one route, to allow staff to concentrate on processing. More importantly, this system aims to ensure that customers receive consistent answers and any, more complex enquiries can be directed to specialist areas of the business to call the customer back.

The main call centre is based in Workington with facilities for calls to be diverted to staff at other RPA sites during periods of unusually high demand.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time taken for the Rural Payments Agency to process applications for payments to farmers and agricultural businesses has been in each year since 2001, broken down by scheme. [71537]

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency does not hold this information and as such it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the differences between the Rural Payments Agency's computer systems at the offices in Reading and at the offices in Newcastle. [74069]

Barry Gardiner: The primary computer systems used by the Rural Payments Agency are the same at each office, including Newcastle and Reading. A specialist Document Management Unit (DMU), supported by dedicated computer systems, operates only at the Newcastle office. Dedicated teams of staff at each office are assigned to work on specific schemes or supporting activities and they will use the computer system relevant to that scheme or activity.

Sea Turtles

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many
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live sea turtles were imported into the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by species; from which countries they were imported; how many live sea turtles were exported from the UK in each year, broken down by species; and to which countries they were exported; [73881]

(2) what the weight of sea turtle products (a) imported into and (b) exported from the UK was in each of the last five years; from which countries such products were imported; and to which countries such products were exported. [73882]

Barry Gardiner: During the last five years, 21 live sea turtles were imported or exported into the UK as follows:

Species Origin Quantity and further information

2001

Caretta caretta

Israel

One seized by Customs and returned to Israel for re-introduction (re-export)

2006

Chelonia Mydas

Captive bred specimens imported from the Cayman Islands

20 (import)


During the last five years, sea turtle products were imported or exported into the UK as follows:

Species Origin Quantity and further information

2001

Cheloniidae spp.

218 returned used for pre-Convention turtle shell items (import)

2001

Cheloniidae spp.

1,510 returned used for the re-export of part and derivatives all for pre-Convention items (re-export)


Imports for scientific purposes (summary and breakdown)

Summary—Total imports for scientific purposes:


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Breakdown—Imports for scientific purposes:

Species Origin (all wild) Quantity and further information

2001

Chelonia mydas

Comoros

19 skin biopsis

2001

Chelonia mydas

Guinea Bissau

60 skin biopsis

2002

Chelonia mydas

Uruguay

20 skin samples

2002

Chelonia mydas

Israel

2 skin samples

2003

Chelonia mydas

Guernsey

2 skin biopsis

2003

Chelonia mydas

Turks and Caicos

10 skin biopsis

2003

Eretmoch elys imbricata

Turks and Caicos

44 skin biopsis

2003

Chelonia mydas

British Virgin Islands

100 skin pieces

2003

Caretta caretta

British Virgin islands

100

2003

Eretmoch elys imbricata

British Virgin Islands

100

2003

Chelonia mydas

Equatorial Guinea

200 skin pieces

2003

Lepidoch elys olivacea

Equatorial Guinea

50 skin pieces

2003

Eretmoch elys imbricata

Equatorial Guinea

50 skin pieces

2003

Chelonia mydas

Gabon

100 skin pieces

2003

Lepidoch elys olivacea

Gabon

50 skin pieces

2003

Eretmoch elys imbricata

Gabon

50 skin pieces

2004

Eretmoch elys imbricata

St. Helena

50 tissue samples

2004

Chelonia mydas

St. Helena

500 tissue samples

2004

Eretmoch elys imbricata

Montserrat

50 tissue samples

2004

Chelonia mydas

Montserrat

50 tissue samples

2004

Caretta caretta

Montserrat

50 tissue samples

2004

Chelonia mydas

Anguilla

200 tissue samples (1 kg)

2004

Eretmoch elys imbricata

Anguilla

200 tissue samples (1 kg)

2004

Chelonia mydas

British Virgin Islands

600 blood and tissue samples (0.600 kg)

2004

Eretmoch elys imbricata

British Indian Ocean

600 tissue samples (0.600 kg)

2005

Chelonia mydas

British Virgin Islands

500 tissue samples (0.500 kg)

2005

Eretmoch elys imbricata

British Indian Ocean

1,000 blood and tissue samples (0.500 kg)

2006

Eretmoch elys imbricata

British Indian Ocean

225ml


Single Farm Payments

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision the Government have made to reimburse farmers for the interest incurred due to delays in paying the single farm payment; and if he will make a statement. [68901]

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will repay the interest charges on loans
5 Jun 2006 : Column 163W
taken out by those farmers who have not received single farm payments. [70755]

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether interest will be paid on any element of single farm payments unpaid after 20 June 2006. [73218]

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether interest will be paid on late payments of single farm payments to farmers across England. [75048]

Barry Gardiner: The question of interest only arises in respect of payments made after the legal deadline of 30 June. We have not reached that point yet and I do not want to deflect from the Rural Payments Agency in the interim period from concentrating on its main priority, which is to ensure that outstanding payments are made as soon as possible.

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments have been made of (a) less than £1, (b) between £1 and £1.99, (c) between £2 and £4.99, (d) between £5 and £9.99, (e) between £10 and £19.99, (f) between £20 and £49.99, (g) between £50 and £99.99, (h) between £100 and £199, (i) between £200 and £499, (j) between £500 and £999, (k) between £1,000 and £1,999, (l) between £2,000 and £4,999, (m) between £5,000 and £9,999, (n) between £10,000 and £19,999, (o) between £20,000 and £49,000, (p) between £50,000 and £99,999, (q) between £100,000 and £199,999, (r) between £200,000 and £499,999, (s) between £500,000 and £999,999, (t) between £1 million and £1,999,999 and (u) between £2 and £5 million; what percentage of total payments each category represents; and if he will make a statement. [73411]

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency intends to follow a cycle of publishing single payment scheme payment details in the autumn and payment details of other subsidies in the spring each year.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to help farmers in hardship because of the late payment of single farm payments. [66755]

Barry Gardiner [holding answer 27 April 2006]: To date, over £1.3 billion has been paid out under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme (SPS), representing some 88 per cent. of the total sum to disburse. SPS claimants will be best served by the Rural Payments Agency maintaining its focus on ensuring that outstanding sums are paid as soon as possible. In addition, in view of the cash-flow problems faced by some farmers, the Department has substantially increased the amount of funding available to key rural support organisations who help farmers deal with hardship issues.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has undertaken into levels of personal debt incurred by farmers due to the late payment of single farm payments. [66756]


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