HC Deb 31 March 1993 vol 222 cc246-7W
Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who will have access to the information stored in the computer database which is to be set up under the integrated administration and control system; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry

Access to the information held on the IACS computer database will be restricted to officials who need to have access. All officials with access to the information will be bound by the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. If external contractors were to be used, they would be bound by the normal rules of confidentiality.

Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will accept integrated administration and control system forms submitted by farmers where they have calculated their land size in acres rather than hectares; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry

The explanatory booklet explains clearly that farmers are required to submit details of areas in hectares and not in acres. If a farmer nevertheless gives the figures in acres, we shall be able to accept the application only if we are satisfied that it meets the rules relating to genuine errors referred to in the explanatory booklet.

Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funds he will make available to help farmers who incur costs when having to complete the integrated administration and control system forms; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry

No funds are available for this purpose. The costs incurred in completing the IACS forms and supplying supporting information will, for most farmers, represent a small proportion of the payments for which they are applying. They are a normal expense of the farm business.

Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances farmers will be allowed extensions to the deadline for completing their integrated administration and control system forms; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry

The EC regulations do not include provision for any extensions to the deadline of 15 May for the receipt of IACS applications. The rules provide that, except in cases of force majeure, farmers whose applications are received after the deadline will lose 1 per cent. of the aid to which they would otherwise be entitled for each working day that the application is late. However, if the application is received 20 or more calendar days after the closing date, no aid will be payable under the affected schemes.