Vol. 542 No. 5
115 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when the backlog of inspections under the REP scheme will be dealt with; when applicants will receive approvals and payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25079/01]
There were some unavoidable delays in pre-approval inspections in the earlier part of this year, primarily caused by the restrictions on farm visits that were essential to curtail the threat of foot and mouth disease. Since the restrictions were lifted, however, my Department has managed to eliminate the backlog and all inspections should now be completed in time to meet the payment targets set out in the Protocol on Direct Payments to Farmers. Under the protocol, which was negotiated with the farmer organisations, where an application is chosen for pre-payment inspection my Department has 14 weeks to process it to the point where it is scheduled for payment.
Applications for REPS are running at a very high level and there is considerable pressure on staff which is increased by the fact that a large proportion of the technical staff who would normally be dealing with REPS are still on foot and mouth duties at the Border and the ports.
Where second and subsequent annual payment applications under REPS are selected for inspection, payment is no longer delayed until the inspection has taken place.
