The Rural Payments Agency has pledged to improve performance once again in 2011; previously lambasted for shambolic performance and an unreliable IT system, the agency reported record breaking payment times for the delivery of 2011 Single Payments.  

Last week, RPA officials said this year they expect to pay 91 per cent of claimants and 84 per cent of the SPS budget by the end of December. The agency beak targets set by the RPA oversight committee last year; the committee was set up following a damning report of the RPA by a government standing committee in 2006.

The RPA is currently undergoing numerous changes as part of a five year plan unveiled in February by Farming Minister Jim Paice. The plan involves updating the agency’s computer systems, but may also entail reshuffling or losing staff and outsourcing services as the government redesigns the RPA along more ‘business-friendly’ lines.

Last Tuesday (12th June), the RPA released its Business Plan 2012/13, in which it reveals in more detail the effects of the plan’s first stages and sets “challenging new indicators for every area of operations including, speed and accuracy of payments, levels of customer satisfaction and financial controls.”

Chief Executive Officer Mark Grimshaw commented on the new RPA commitments made last week, “Thanks to the hard work of our people and the support of our industry partners and Defra, I believe we have now turned a corner on our way to becoming a trusted, efficient and effective organisation. Farmers and food producers rely on RPA support to make their businesses more competitive and, thereby, our rural communities more sustainable. For their sakes, there will be no let-up in our drive to improve performance for our customers and the tax-payer in 2012/13.”

Commitments made by the RPA include:

Headline indicators for 2012/13

• An average customer satisfaction rate of at least 80% across the year

• SPS: 91% of customers and 84% of value by the end of December 2012; 97% of customers and 97% by value by the end of March 2013

• Trader scheme payments: 95% within 28 days of receipt; 99% within 60 days of receipt

• Rural Development Programme for England scheme payments: 98% within 5 working days of request

• Accurate payments - measured at 98% of the financial value

• Cattle in Great Britain – record at least 98% of reported births, deaths and movements within seven days of receipt

The RPA also pledged to further reduce costs and increase turnaround for online applications and cattle passports. Since the onset of austerity measures, the agency has been running at a drastically reduced budget.

The business plan can be accessed here.

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