I have heard the noble Earl and respect his tenacity in putting that point. I had better not say anything more on the record, but that is clearly one area where the question is how we get a better situation. That is why I assure your Lordships that the RPA is geared up to deal with this, and the Secretary of State and all the ministerial team are looking for progress.
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My noble friend Lady Byford asked a question about statutory instrument 2—I hope noble Lords will agree that it is much easier if we look at the green sheet than if I repeat the full title of each SI. She mentioned the NFU call for greater clarity and the question of what is a suitable financial framework. By this we refer to the existing domestic financing framework.
On statutory instrument 4, my noble friend Lady Byford asked whether there were any specific concerns on fisheries. My understanding is that there were no outstanding concerns from the fisheries sector, but again, I will look into that further. On statutory
instrument 5, my noble friend asked what emergency aid covers. Article 30 of the agriculture block exemption regulation sets out specific exemptions for urgent payments made after natural disasters. Likewise, Article 44 provides similar exemptions for fisheries in the fishery block exemption regulation.
My noble friend Lady Byford mentioned drought; emergency payments could be exempted under Article 25 of the agriculture block exemption regulation. She also mentioned exemptions; she said that some exemptions are for six months, and asked how long we seek to extend them for. There will be no explicit limit to this extension, as indeed there is no limit in the EU regulations. With all these instruments we are bringing everything back as it is at the current point. What we have now, therefore, is what we will have on our statute book with the operability amendments that are contained in the statutory instruments.
My noble friend Lady Byford also asked about standards of cases. We are retaining the current level of checks that the EU requires through the CAP legislation. Where there is an ability in the EU legislation to reduce inspection rates upon meeting certain audit criteria, we are retaining the necessary criteria but allowing it to be met through a procured domestic audit; clearly, we will now have a responsibility for these matters.
That leads me to the noble Lord, Lord Grantchester, and my noble friend Lady Byford, who raised the essential point of how we ensure that what will be public money is held to account properly. UK Administrations will be subject to an existing domestic framework for the financing, accounting and auditing of payments. This system provides for equivalent levels of scrutiny and parliamentary oversight as in the EU system. It is set out in the following domestic legislation: in England, the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000; in Wales, the Government of Wales Act 2006; in Scotland, the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000; and in Northern Ireland, the Government Resources and Accounts Act (Northern Ireland) 2001. Within this framework, public bodies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland prepare financial accounts in accordance with the government financial reporting manual, issued by the Treasury, which applies international financial reporting standards as adapted for the public sector. Domestic audits are also subject to the National Audit Act 1983 as amended by the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011. In addition, domestic public bodies involved in the administration of agricultural support payments are scrutinised through internal audits. The Government Internal Audit Agency, which is independent of Defra, audits the English paying agency, and equivalent practices apply to the devolved Administrations.
My noble friend Lady Byford also asked about the AHDB review. Late last year, Defra and the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales, in consultation with DAERA in Northern Ireland, ran a request for views on the future of the AHDB and sought views on the levy, its calculation and uses. A summary of responses will be published this year.
I think that I was asked to give a reassurance about payments being made on time. I have made it very clear that the RPA is now responsible for making payments to agreement holders. The Government have been
clear that the current delivery of agri-environment schemes is not good enough, as I have said. On the issue of harassment, raised by my noble friend Lady Byford—