Agreement has been reached on phasing out several of the remaining coupled payments, with their amounts usually being added to the decoupled SPS and SAPS, such that decoupling is budget neutral. The payments involved and relevant dates are presented in table 2. Decoupling is also a major focus of the current health check negotiations, where agreement is expected to be reached on phasing out several other coupled payments (with their amounts again being added to the SPS and SAPS), with expected phase-outs as presented in table 3. The UK “Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy” is clear that in the longer term, direct payments should be phased out completely, with payments to farmers targeted at delivering public benefits, including environmental benefits, through a re-shaped pillar two.
Table 2: Direct Aids already scheduled to be decoupled (or not scheduled to be decoupled)
Sector
Current situation
When scheduled to be phased out
POSEI (payments for bananas in the outermost regions)
75 per cent. coupled contribution to national assistance programmes for banana growers
No end date is fixed for this aid
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Fruit and vegetables
The EU Processed Fruit and Vegetables Regime was subject to major reform in 2007, with agreement reached on a phased approach to full decoupling:
Tomatoes for processing: 1 January 2012
Other processing aids: 1 January 2013
Tomatoes for processing—member states may allow a maximum four-year transitional period provided that the coupled element of the payment does not exceed 50 per cent. of the corresponding component of the national ceiling
Other processing aids—member states may allow a maximum five-year transitional period until at the latest 31 December 2012, provided that after 31 December 2010, the coupled proportion of the payment does not exceed 75 per cent. of the corresponding component of the national ceiling in 2011 and 2012 respectively
Sugar
There are no direct aids in the sugar sector, but there is a transitional fund to help the sugar sector restructure
The transitional aid is due to end in 2010
There are also separate sugar payments as part of the Single Payment Scheme
Tobacco
Progressive reduction in coupled support from 2006 to 2010
2010
Silkworms
100 per cent. coupled payment.
No end date is fixed for this payment
Cotton
65 per cent./35 per cent. split of decoupled/coupled payments
Agriculture Council agreed in 2008 to maintain coupled aid payments at these levels
Table 3: Health check proposals for decoupling
Sector
Current situation
Health Check proposal
Crops
Member states may retain partial coupled payments in:
Full decoupling from 2010 and integrate into Single Payment Scheme (SPS)
Arable Crops Payments (up to 25 per cent.)
Durum Wheat Quality Supplement (up to 40 per cent.)
Hops (up to 25 per cent.)
100 per cent. exclusion of certain or all species
Olive oil
Aid for olive groves could remain up to 40 per cent. coupled
Full decoupling in 2010 and integration in SPS
Livestock
Member States may retain coupled payments in:
Slaughter premium for young animals, slaughter premium for adult animals and special beef premium: full decoupling in two steps (50 per cent. coupled in 2010, 50 per cent. coupled in 2011 and 100 per cent. decoupled in 2012 and onwards). Shift to SPS
Suckler Cow Premium (up to 100 per cent.)
No change in suckler cow and sheep and goatmeat
Special beef premium (up to 75 per cent.)
Slaughter Premium (up to 40 per cent. for adults and 100 per cent. for calves)
Sheep and Goats (up to 50 per cent.)
Flax and Hemp
Option of 25 per cent. partial coupling as arable crops area payment. Short fibre flax to be phased out in 2008-09. Long fibre flax to be increased to €40/tonne in 2009-10.
Decouple long fibre flax processing aid and shift to SPS in 2 steps: 50 per cent. in 2011 and full decoupling in 2013.
Dried Fodder
Retain processing aid (per tonne, uniform for dehydrated and dried fodder)
Decouple processing aid and shift to SPS in 2011
Starch potato
Aid for starch producers (60 per cent. of pre-2003 level) paid per tonne of starch delivered. A transformation aid is granted to the manufacturers per tonne of potato starch with guaranteed minimum prices within the quota limit. Finally, production refunds for starch are granted when using starch for the production of certain goods
Decouple aid to growers and shift to SPS (phasing out in 2013, in two steps: 50 per cent. in 2011 and full decoupling in 2013); decouple processing aid and shift to SPS in 2011; removal of quotas by 2013; abolish production refund in 2009
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Energy crop premium
Aid of EUR 45 per hectare for energy crops for the production of biofuels and electric and thermal energy produced from biomass
Abolish in 2010
Durum Wheat
Aid of EUR 40 per hectare, granted subject to the use of certain quantities of certified seeds of varieties recognised as being of high quality for the production of semolina or pasta
Abolition and shift to SPS in 2010
Protein crops
Aid of EUR 55, 57 per hectare of protein crops (peas, field beans, lupins)
Decouple and shift into SPS in 2010
Specific payment for rice
Aid per hectare, the value set according to the yields in the member states concerned
Decouple and shift to SPS (50 per cent. in 2010 and further 50 per cent. in 2012)
Nuts
Aid per hectare granted to farmers producing nuts, with a possibility of granting additional national aid
Decouple and shift to SPS in 2010
Single Area Payment Scheme (SAPS)
New member states have to change to SPS by 2010-11
Prolong possibility of applying SAPS until end 2013
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what sanctions are available in cases of departmental staff found to have committed disciplinary offences; and how many times each has been used in each of the last three years. [230207]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
The Civil Service Management Code sets out the requirements for Departments to have procedures in place to deal with conduct and disciplinary issues. The DEFRA procedures are laid down in the staff handbook which is accessed on the departmental intranet. The sanctions available to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are as follows:
Written reprimand;
Written warnings;
Denial of pay award or reduction in pay;
Payment in restitution, in whole or in part;
Culpable loss or damage caused by the offender;
Suspension of pay;
Loss of seniority;
Ban on promotion or consideration for promotion, including temporary additional responsibility allowance (TARA), for a specific period;
Downgrading, includes removal from a post attracting additional pay or allowances;
Transfer to a new location;
Dismissal.
The number of times that the aforementioned sanctions have been confirmed in the last three financial years are listed as follows. The dismissal sanction represents the final outcome of disciplinary action taken in an individual misconduct case.
Sanction
Number
1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006
Dismissals
6
Written reprimands
1
1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007
Dismissals
6
Written reprimands
1
Written warnings
2
Transfer to new location
1
1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008
Dismissals
2
Written warnings
1
Departmental ICT
Mr. Hoban:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what IT projects (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies is undertaking; and what the most recent estimate of (i) the cost and (ii) the completion date of each is. [229162] [Official Report, 27 March 2009, Vol. 490, c. 5MC.]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
The following table details current major IT projects in DEFRA and its largest executive agencies, the Rural Payments Agency and Animal Health.
The projects detailed are those which cost more than £1 million over the life of the project. Costs listed as follows exclude day-to-day running costs after the completion of the project.
Projects costing less than £1 million and those within smaller Executive Agencies have been excluded as data collection for these would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department to compile.
