The accounts of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its Rural Payments Agency have been qualified due to heavy fines imposed by the European Commission. The fines are the result of failings with the computer system used to make subsidy payments to farmers.
Controller and auditor general Amyas Morse explained that the accounts have been qualified because of £175m fines for delayed and mistaken payments to farmers under the Single Payments Scheme between 2007 and 2009. A further penalty of £84m is expected for 2010.
Defra claimed that this year's performance has been better.
However, Morse told MPs that there is still a "significant loss" to taxpayers, and demanded that a new leadership team be appointed to the agency to address the issues that have led to the qualifications.
Have your say on this article
Newsletters
Latest stories from Public Sector
Latest videos
You may also like
Public Sector jobs
Technology Patent Wars
Case studies from large organisations across all sectors
... And rich media, and flexible working, and peaks in traffic ...
Upcoming Events
Join us for this Computing web seminar, in which the Head of BI at the Co-operative Group Nick Colebourn will be explaining just how he reigned in the Group’s sprawling database estate and how significant savings were realised and data quality improved as a result.
Date: 31 May 2012
Time: 11:00 AM
Live June 13th 11:00am: Register now. During this web seminar we will be looking at the sorts of incidents that can bring data centres grinding to a halt and what can be done about them.
Date: 13 Jun 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Receive the latest jobs direct to your inbox
Are you being paid what you are worth?
