§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications for agricultural subsidies he has rejected during the last year on the grounds of the lateness of their submission; and what further steps he will take to ensure that the consequences of untimely application are made known to farmers and crofters.
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§ Mr. Gordon CampbellIn the year ended 31st March, 1972, 200 late claims were rejected, which is a very small proportion of the total claims received. Closing dates are prominently featured on the claim forms; where a fixed date applies to all claims under a subsidy scheme general press reminders are issued and individual reminders are sent to farmers who have obtained but not returned claim forms. Additionally, the first late claim from a farmer is accepted on a once-for-all basis; thus any farmer whose late claim is refused will have received previously a letter explaining the need to observe closing dates and the consequences of any further failure to do so.