Bonus for RPA chief is ‘incomprehensible’, says MP

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Failings in implementing the Single
Payment Scheme have led to the risk of
significant disallowance of expenditure
and the imposition of penalties by the
European Commission.

Commenting on the Commons public accounts committee’s report on the second progress update on the Rural Payments Agency’s administration of the Single Farm Payment, South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon, a member of the committee, said:

“The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) seems immune to any attempt to reverse its declining fortunes and Defra appears to be in denial over the scale of the problem.

“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”.

16 December 2009

See also:

PAC REPORT: A 2nd update on the Single Payment Scheme

PARLIAMENT: Farmers’ payment scheme ‘out of control’ - MP

PARLIAMENT: Rural Payments Agency 'failed farmers' says MP

PARLIAMENT: Farmers still suffer from Single Payment shambles

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