22/05/12 ~ RPA Appeals Panels to stay
The Independent Agricultural Appeals Panels (IAAP) will continue to operate, after a review found they were a valued service for the farming industry, Farming Minister Jim Paice announced today.
The IAAP makes recommendations to Ministers on appeals against the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) decisions on Common Agricultural Policy payment claims.
Responding to the review findings, Mark Grimshaw, Chief Executive Officer of RPA, said:
“Good customer service is at the heart of everything we are doing at the Agency to improve the support we give to farmers and help them to be more competitive. We welcome the findings of this review which endorses work we have already begun to ensure we deal with complaints and appeals more effectively.”
As part of a five year plan, announced earlier this year and designed to create a more efficient and effective Agency, RPA is already working on improvements to the way it interacts with its customers including an overhaul of the correspondence management system and development of better processes and supporting IT for complaints and appeals.
More information on the review can be found on the Defra website
Page published: 16 May 2013