§ Mr. William Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if in future he will arrange for the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland to acknowledge every receipt of an application for any grants or subsidies payable to farmers in Northern, Ireland; and if he will estimate the cost of such acknowledgements.
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§ Mr. Adam ButlerFor reasons of economy it is not Government policy to acknowledge the receipt of all claims for grants or subsidies. An acknowledgment will, however, be issued to any applicant who specifically requests one and who encloses a self-addressed envelope with the correct postage affixed. Exceptionally, for the 1983 suckler cow and the sheep annual premium schemes, which have rigid closing dates, it is proposed to enclose a card with the application forms when these are being issued by the Department of Agriculture. If the card is submitted to the Department with the completed application form, it will be returned as an acknowledgment provided it has been properly completed and the correct postage affixed.
Details of the numbers of applications received by the Department of Agriculture are not held centrally and a reliable estimate of costs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.