Denis Naughten
Ceist:65 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his plans to reduce red tape in agriculture. [20707/02]
Written Answers. - Departmental Services.
I am fully committed to providing services in an efficient, effective and user-friendly manner and this has been highlighted in a series of customer service action plans. In that context, application forms and scheme terms and conditions are reviewed regularly and have been sim plified to the greatest degree possible and considerable investment has been made in information technology.
I recently announced that new arrangements will be introduced in 2003 for establishing stocking density on the holdings of farmers who wish to apply for extensification premium. These new arrangements, involving the maximum use of computerised databases, will significantly simplify the procedure for applying for extensification premium and greatly reduce paperwork for farmers in accordance with commitments in my Department's Customer Service Action Plan 2001-2004.
Earlier this year my Department also established an external regional panel of customers who are participating in the special beef premium scheme in order to devise further possible ways of simplifying the application procedure on that scheme. The work of this panel is still on going. This process will be extended to other areas and/or other schemes next year and will be developed generally as the need arises.
The CMMS, cattle movement monitoring system, is also being developed on an ongoing basis to increase the data collected on bovines to assist applicants in their participation in certain schemes. In processing applications, my Department must at all times act in accordance with its obligations under relevant national and EU legislation. However, I am anxious to continue to review the various regulations to see if further improvements can be made there. It is for this reason that in An Agreed Programme for Government there is an undertaking to agree a series of proposals with the farming organisations to tackle red tape and to argue strongly for the adoption of the proposals at EU level.
I would also emphasise that my Department operates an extremely efficient direct payments regime.