Vol. 449 No. 3
45 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if the reduction in the provision for computerisation within his Department will slow up the proposed improvements regarding the payment system under all headings. [2790/95]
In 1994 the expenditure on computerisation in my Department was £5.041 million which included a supplementary estimate of £1.057 million. The capital expenditure in 1994 was £3.043 million, the bulk of which was spent on improving the delivery of payments under the headage and premia schemes. In 1995 the estimate for computerisation was £3.840 million. As an indication of my commitment to improving the level and quality of service to farmers I have supplemented the original allocation with an extra £1.225 million from the £5 million allocated in the budget for the implementation of the charter of rights for farmers. This will bring the total provision for computerisation in my Department to £5.065 million in the current year which is the highest allocation for computerisation in the history of the Department. The allocation will be used to extend computer facilities particularly the further enhancement of the local office computerisation programme.
