Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:17 pm on 2 May 2017.
I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for that question, and I am very happy to update on the basic payments scheme. By 27 April, over 98.9 per cent of claims had been paid, at a value of approximately £219 million. This now includes cross-border payments made by the Welsh Government. Wales’s basic payment scheme 2016 payment performance is similar to Northern Ireland and compares very favourably with Scotland and England. And, as the Member knows, the BPS payment window runs until 30 June, with Rural Payments Wales doing everything they can to make all remaining payments as quickly as possible. They expect to pay all but the most complex claims by the end of April, of course, which was last week. I would also add the point that the introduction of the new greening requirements for arable farmers has led to more complex inspections. The EC requires farm businesses subject to an inspection in 2016 to have their claim finalised before payment can be made. We can’t comment on the functions of other paying agents.