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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when it is planned Dartmoor Farmers who farm on common land will receive payments under the Basic Payment Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

For those Basic Payment Scheme claims with commons, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has faced a particularly difficult challenge as it is necessary to wait until all claimants for a common have had their commons rights validated before the area for each commoner can be established. RPA is working to make the payments for claimants who have not been paid as promptly as possible, including the Dartmoor farmers who farm on Common land.