§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions have been initiated and are pending, by or on behalf of her Department against(a) contractors and (b) farmers, in respect of alleged fraudulent claims or other irregularities relating to (i) claims made for compensation, (ii) works undertaken on behalf of her Department, and (iii) animals slaughtered; how many court hearings have been completed; and how many of the prosecutions have been successful. [150555]
§ Mr. BradshawSince 2001, no prosecutions have been commenced in relation to fraudulent claims by contractors for compensation or works undertaken on behalf of the Department. Three prosecutions were commenced into fraudulent claims for compensation by farmers: one farmer pleaded guilty, two farmers were acquitted. There are no outstanding prosecutions.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what value of payments remain unpaid to Welsh contractors employed during and following the foot and mouth disease outbreak. [151727]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter), on 6 January,Official Report, column 261W.
The Department is in dispute with four Welsh contractors over charges arising, or which are claimed to have arisen, from the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak. As these matters are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what value of compensation payments remain unpaid to Welsh farmers as a result of the foot and mouth disease outbreak, broken down by(a) constituency and (b) local authority area. [151728]
§ Mr. BradshawThere are no compensation payments due to Welsh farmers that remain unpaid as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many compensation payments, of what value, have been paid to Welsh farmers as a result of the foot and mouth disease outbreak, broken down by(a) constituency and (b) local authority area. [151729]
§ Mr. BradshawWe cannot provide a breakdown of compensation payments by either constituency or local authority area. The compensation payments data is not held in that form.
However, we can provide the following breakdown of compensation payments made to Welsh farmers by county.
631W
Payments £ County Number Total Amount Powys 991 41,470,929 Gwent 211 10,517,681 Mid Glamorgan 54 775,061 Clwyd 25 508,428 West Glamorgan 14 971,654 Dyfed 12 377,399 South Glamorgan 2 253,318 Totals 1,309 54,874,470
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the criteria are for interest payments to be made by her Department on outstanding foot and mouth disease claims; and if she will make a statement. [151839]
§ Mr. BradshawThe criteria will vary on a case by case basis and will depend on such things as the precise contractual terms providing for interest; the construction of the contract; the terms and applicability of The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; and the validity and timeliness or otherwise of the applications for payment received.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many outstanding claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts remain to be processed by her Department; and what estimate has been made of the total liability. [151840]
§ Mr. BradshawAs the Department has paid businesses on the basis of the contractual terms agreed it does not believe there are any valid unpaid and outstanding invoices submitted by businesses to the Department for work undertaken in connection with the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
The Department is withholding £52.9 million from businesses in connection with charges arising from the provision of goods, services and works during the outbreak. In these cases, it believes on the basis of the quantum, accounting, technical and legal advice it has received that it was overcharged for goods, services and works during the outbreak. In all other cases, the Department has paid businesses for the goods, services and works provided in connection with the outbreak in 2001.
As at 29 January 2004 the Department is in serious dispute with 22 contractors and five of these disputes are currently in the civil courts, with more expected to follow.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money has been spent(a) internally and (b) on outside assistance on the disputing and forensic analysis of invoices submitted by Northumberland and Durham Machinery Ring Ltd for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts. [151841]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Department has spent(a) £2,480 internally and (b) £336,357 excluding VAT externally on professional services in connection with the forensic 632W examination of the Northumberland and Durham Machinery Ring account pertaining to the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
This expenditure excludes the costs of the successful mediation on 20 January, which are the subject of standard confidentiality provisions agreed between the parties.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements have been made by her Department with organisations or persons rewarded by payment of commission, percentage or other means for securing reductions in invoices submitted by contractors for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts. [151842]
§ Mr. BradshawNo such arrangements have been made.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many invoices submitted for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts have been paid in full by her Department without negotiation or dispute as to quantum. [151843]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter) on 6 January 2004,Official Report, columns 260–62W. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as it would require a review of all applications for payment submitted over four financial years in connection with the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the claims made for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts which have been settled by her Department have been settled within the allocated time period. [151844]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter) on 6 January 2004,Official Report, columns 260–62W.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims made for foot and mouth disease contracts submitted to her Department have been settled to date. [151845]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter) on 6 January 2004,Official Report, columns 260–62W.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts have yet to be settled by her Department. [151846]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Department is withholding £52.9 million from businesses in connection with charges arising from the provision of goods, services and works during the outbreak. In these cases, it believes on the basis of the quantum, accounting, technical and legal advice it has received that it was overcharged for goods, services and works during the outbreak. In all other cases, the Department has paid businesses for the goods, services and works provided in connection with the outbreak in 2001.
633WAs at 29 January 2004 the Department is in serious dispute with 22 contractors and five of these disputes are currently in the civil courts, with more expected to follow.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts have been submitted to her Department since the outbreak of the disease. [151847]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Department considers it has received 30 claims for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts since the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money has been spent(a) internally and (b) on outside assistance on the disputing and forensic analysis of invoices submitted by businesses for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts. [151848]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter), on 6 January 2004,Official Report, column 259W.
Internal costs total £430,000 to date.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much interest has been paid by her Department on outstanding claims for foot and mouth disease contracts; what estimate has been made of likely outstanding payments; and if she will make a statement. [151849]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-Super-Mare (Brian Cotter), on 6 January 2004,Official Report, columns 259–60W.
§ Mr. FlookTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the claims made for foot and mouth disease clean-up contracts which have been settled by her Department with(a) companies and (b) individuals based in Somerset were settled within the allocated time period. [152001]
§ Mr. BradshawI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Brian Cotter), on 6 January 2004,Official Report, column 261W.
The Department is in dispute with one contractor in Somerset over charges arising, or which are claimed to have arisen, from the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak. As this matter is on-going, it would be inappropriate to comment further.