§ David BurnsideTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make the body of official forms issued by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development more comprehensible to farmers. [88870]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyOfficials from the Department will be meeting with farming union representatives this month to discuss documentation and procedures relating to cattle identification and subsidy claims. The Department is also working towards simplifying application forms used for the programme for building430W sustainable prosperity and the PEACE II programme. In addition it is currently piloting on-line claims for sheep annual premium, with a view to making this facility more widely available and making subsidy applications more convenient and user-friendly
Forms produced by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are broadly consistent with those used in other agriculture departments throughout the UK. One of the Department's main aims is to ensure that farmers are only being asked to provide information which is essential to meet statutory or other obligations and to facilitate processing. Forms normally contain contact details for anyone requiring assistance and are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are as user friendly as possible.