§ 12. Mr. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture the average delay that occurs in the payment of farm water supply grants after schemes have been completed; and if he will speed the process.
§ Sir T. DugdaleRecords are not kept of the time which elapses between the completion of a scheme and the payment of a grant. I shall reduce delays in my Department as much as possible, but applicants can also help by applying promptly and carefully for grant on the completion of a scheme.
§ Mr. HurdWould my right hon. Friend for a month or two, just for a sample, check the time that elapses between completion of a scheme and the payment of grant, because I know—and I am sure that other hon. Members know—of numbers of cases in which the contractor's bill has been paid but it has been six months or more before the farmer has been able to get his money out of the Treasury?
§ Sir T. DugdaleYes, Sir, I will do that, and perhaps my hon. Friend will give me detailed instances of any undue delay so that I can look into them.