§ Mr. TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales in how many cases payments to farmers and landowners under the arable area payments scheme have been withheld or recovered in Wales; what is the amount of money withheld or recovered in each case; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RedwoodEvery case in which payments may be withheld or recovered is examined very carefully and applicants have an opportunity to comment before a final decision is taken. This means that it is possible to provide only very provisional figures at this stage. Some 30 payments have so far been reduced or withheld entirely, but there are further cases still under consideration. These figures exclude penalties for late applications and adjustments made following corrections notified by the applicant under the special arrangements which applied in 1993 for dealing with genuine errors. The total amounts withheld in individual cases vary considerably.