Single Payment Scheme

: I have a great deal of confidence in the Minister and I have every expectation that in a masterly winding-up speech he will lead to a climax that announces just that sort of compensation. It is morally necessary and economically required for the reasons I gave. Like other MPs with a rural or mixed constituency, I am in regular contact with the National Farmers Union and its members in my area, and during my nine years in this place, I have never encountered the depth of concern and angst now being experienced. I include a comment from Pat Stanley, the chairman of the North-West Leicestershire NFU:"““To make matters worse, the helplines that the RPA has put in place, have proved ineffective. There is now a growing sense of frustration and anger over the RPA's inability to make the system work. The RPA and Ministers have made a series of promises about the performance of this new scheme and all the evidence to date suggests that these are being consistently broken.””" She concludes:"““It is vital for the farming industry that the payments get to producers as soon as possible. Please can you do whatever you can to impress upon Defra and the RPA the difficulties which their non performance is causing for the industry and the need for immediate action to put matters right.””" That is the purpose of this debate.