“In the last two years, the Agency has spent £84 million on hiring consultants to prop up the Agency’s creaking £350 million computer system.  To make matters worse, much of the RPA’s software will soon be out of warranty and the RPA is scrabbling around to find a cheaper way to keep it going until 2012.  The RPA also struggles to hire senior staff because people with the right skills and experience do not want the Rural Payments Agency tainting their CV. 

“Farmers will be furious that the Chief Executive of the RPA, one of the worst performing government bodies in living memory, was paid his performance bonus last year”.