§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of arable area aid payments in 1996 were made within the 31 December deadline. [11580]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggI am pleased to say that arable area payments were sent out to 99 per cent. of claimants in England by 31 December, covering around 98 per cent. of payments by value. This successful result bears testimony both to the prompt and accurate return of claims by farmers and to the efforts made by the Ministry's staff to process payments as required by EU rules.