Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Cross-compliance) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

My Lords, in fact I wanted to acknowledge that. We want to ensure that there is no overlap where it can possibly be avoided, but I accept that we are obliged to inspect 1 per cent. At the end of her remarks, the Minister said that if we are not careful and do not accept the regulations and implement the cross-compliance, we could lose 10 per cent of the available money. The Minister knows very well that I have no intention of dividing the House on this Motion, but it is important to debate it fully, and we have done so. I should also like to place on the record our great concern that at the moment the European Commission is blocking our voluntary modulation, which may well add to the difficulties the Government are facing. It has been blocked by the European Parliament and is not likely to be cleared until the end of March and therefore may well not kick in until September or October. That is an additional worry for our farmers. We continue to ensure that we do not seek gold-plating. However, I should say to the Minister that at a meeting of the Family Farmers’ Association held earlier today, a Defra civil servant attending it was challenged with the question, ““Should you not be questioning some of these things on our behalf?””. While it does not go amiss to record that we value the work of the Civil Service, I wonder whether occasionally its members do not stand back and ask, ““Is this right? Could it be done in a different way?””. If the message from today’s debate has highlighted that issue again, I am happy to have raised it. Once again I thank the noble Baroness for stepping in and I hope that sending my notes in advance was helpful to her. I know that her noble friend Lord Rooker will read the proceedings of our debate carefully, and that he is a champion in the effort to reduce bureaucracy and red tape, something which we all applaud. I beg leave to withdraw the Motion. Motion, by leave, withdrawn.