MPs quiz Truss over farm subsidy system failure
What does this all mean for LEADER? It was proposed that this system would support LEADER claims. I know it’s a small deal in the overall scale of RDPE, indeed as much has been spent on the failed system as the whole LEADER budget. I do remain concerned however that any central efficiencies assumed in driving down the maximum to be spent on management and admin ro 18% have now disappeared. In Scotland LEADER partnerships have been allowed to take up to 25% to meet M&A costs but that’s a different story. This story tells us:
Defra secretary Liz Truss has questions to answer over the failure of the government’s £154m computer system for farm subsidy payments, says an influential committee of MPs.
Ms Truss and Rural Payments Agency chief executive Mark Grimshaw have both been summoned to appear before the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
They will give evidence to the committee on Wednesday (25 March).
The agency announced last week that its IT system – which took two years to develop – was incapable of receiving farmers’ claims for the new Basic Payment System.
Farmers are now being asked to go back to pen and paper to complete their applications, although they are still being asked to register online for payments.
The U-turn follows months of warnings from farm leaders about the capability of the system to manage complex information – including mapping land.
Brussels has given farmers an extra month to complete their claims by extending the deadline for applications from 15 May to 15 June.
If claims are made on time, the government insists it will still be able to make subsidy payments to farmers after the six-month window opens in December 2015.