Question
Whether the administration of the single payment scheme delivery is satisfactory; and whether they will arrange for the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to take personal responsibility for the Rural Payments Agency until any existing issues have been resolved.
Answer
In respect of the administration of the single payment scheme, I refer to the Written Statement I made on 16 March (col. WS 101–02)As I said in the Statement, Mark Addison, former acting Defra Permanent Secretary, has been appointed as acting chief executive to provide stronger leadership to the Rural Payments Agency.Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary of my department, will continue to take a close personal interest in the delivery of the SPS, including through her chairing of both the RPA Ownership Board (which provides strategic direction and oversight of the agency) and the executive review group which approves all key strategic and operational decisions related to the SPS.