Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the support provided by the Rural Payments Agency to farmers in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

The Secretary of State meets arm’s length body CEOs and Chairs bi-annually to discuss delivery and performance. The Minister for Farming has set out a programme of quarterly performance meetings with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

As the principal sponsor of the RPA, Defra works closely with RPA officials at every level to provide constructive challenge and support on RPA performance, efficacy and delivery. Defra ministers as well as the wider political team meet with the RPA leadership to discuss the RPA ’s performance and delivery of departmental priorities.