Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
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Local MP condemns figures as evidence of "breathtaking" government attitude
Local MP, Norman Baker, has secured figures showing that the Government’s Rural Payments Agency employs a huge number of people to work on the Single Payments Scheme for farmers, which since its introduction has been plagued with errors and delays.
The figures show that the Rural Payments Agency has 2043 employees involved in the administration of the Government’s Single Payment Scheme. In 2005 there were 118,000 single Payment claims, meaning each caseworker processes only around 58 cases a year, an average of around 1 case, per employee, per week.
These figures are made all the more galling by recent comments from Barry Gardiner MP, a Junior Minister at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Mr Gardiner told an NFU meeting that the farming industry was in need of a "hell of a shakeout" in order to increase productivity. Local farmers have objected strongly to these comments, especially in light of the seemingly low productivity at the RPA.
Speaking on the issue, Norman Baker MP said:
"The Minister is on pretty weak ground with his comments. Since its introduction the Single Farm Payments Scheme has been beset with long delays, unnecessary bureaucracy, and unforced errors. It is breathtaking that the Government has the audacity to lecture farmers on productivity when the Rural Payments Agency employs such a large number of people to deal with such a small amount of work.
"The Government should examine its own productivity before criticising that of others."