RPA put on report for SFP failings

The Rural Payments Agency has been put on report by MPs for its “systematic failures” in delivering single farm payments.



The beleaguered agency has been ordered to provide evidence it is cutting costs and improving the way it pays farmers after MPs on the Public Accounts Committee gave a damning report on the RPA’s progress.


Reporting on the handling of the SFP on Tuesday (15 December), the cross-party committee of MPs said a disastrous IT system, poor management and delays in payments had contributed to the biggest debacle in the committee’s history.


It told the RPA to report on how it was meeting concerns addressed by the National Audit Office in October, where the agency was slammed for wasting £680m of taxpayers’ money.


The MPs also demanded a report from the agency every three months to prove it was making progress.


“It is an extremely serious charge from this committee that negligible attention has been paid to taxpayers’ interests,” Edward Leigh, committee chairman, said.


Mr Leigh also accused DEFRA of complacency for failing to spot problems within the RPA and allowing millions of pounds of public money to be wasted.


“Considerable responsibility must lie at DEFRA’s door,” he said.


“DEFRA has either not grasped the seriousness of what has been happening or been reluctant to face up to problems.”


The department had agreed the RPA should provide clear evidence on how it is meeting the NAO’s recommendations, he added.


A DEFRA spokesman said the RPA had delivered “substantial improvements” in making payments to farmers and that the agency’s formal payment targets had been met.


 “Equally, DEFRA acknowledges that further work is required to ensure that the RPA can deliver an improved, reliable and cost effective service to the farming industry in the years ahead,” he said.


“The recommendations from the PAC, along with previous reports from the NAO and the EFRA Committee, will prove valuable in taking forward the 2013 review of the RPA that Jim Fitzpatrick announced on 2 September.”







RPA boss under fire


RPA chief Tony Cooper has once again been singled out for his poor management and failure to take control of the problems within the agency.


MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said poor leadership within the RPA had been the “root cause of the debacle”.


Criticising the high turnover of highly-paid, senior staff within the agency, the committee said DEFRA should assess the capability of managers.


“If necessary, it should appoint someone with experience in turning around failing organisations,” it added.


The Committee also slammed DEFRA’s decision to award Mr Cooper with an £11,000 bonus last year, despite ongoing problems with the scheme. 


 

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