§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the industrial action being carried out by staff employed at her Department's regional offices; what assessment she has made of the impact of delays in IACS and ESA payments on individual farm cashflow; and if she will take measures to ensure that farm claimants receive interest on all payment amounts delayed by industrial action. [29088]
§ Mr. MorleyThe RPA expects to be able to pay the vast majority of IACS and ESA claims within the regulatory timeframe. However, because of the processing time that has been lost due to industrial action (which was suspended on 11 January), it is likely that more claims than usual will be carried over into February. Every effort will be made to keep these to the absolute minimum. When she met the British Banking Association in November the Secretary of State sought their understanding for the effect which payment delays would have on the cash flow of their farming customers.
The extent to which any claimants might be entitled to compensation for delays in their payments will be considered in the light of the circumstances at the time.