October 2007 ~ RPA effectiveness May 2006 to October 2nd 2007
- We publish this anonymously but can vouch for its authenticity
- "SP5 submitted 3/5/06
SP5 acknowedged receipt 8/5/06
Entitlements Statement received from RPA dated 22/12/06
No money received by 26/3/07 so e-mailed RPA e-mail acknowledged automatically 26/3/07 No reply by 27/4/07 so e-mailed again automatic acknowledgement 27/4/07 No reply by 25/5/07 so phoned RPA My caseworker said he would look into it No reply by 29/6/07 so phoned again and was told I had never submitted SP5 for 2006 Sent copy of SP5 acknowledgement and Entitlements Statement to RPA on 2/7/07 No response by 23/7/07 so phoned to be told my caseworker had left and my file was empty. Was asked to send copies again which I did on 23/7/07 Phoned on 3/8/07 to be told I had a new caseworker who had no record of my correspondence. Copies sent for third time and acknowledged Phoned on 10/8/07 and was told that my case could not be processed without a replacement SP5 as my original had been totally lost.
Replacement SP5 received in post on 20/8/07 and was completed and returned on 23/8/07 No response by 28/8/07 so phoned for a response and was told that I had a new caseworker who would look into it.
No response by 7/9/07 so phoned again and was told that my documents had been sent to the scanning room but were not yet up on the computer so caseworker could not do any more. She promised to phone and update me on 13/9/07.
No phone call at time promised on 13/9/07 so I phoned to be told that she had not phoned because there was nothing to report.
Phoned again on 17/9/07. Told no further news but phone call promised. Line manager had been informed of problem.
No reply by 1/10/07 so phoned again and was told caseworker was in a training meeting but would phone back.
No reply by 2/10/07 so phoned again. Was told by telephone receptionist that caseworker did not want to talk to me as she had nothing to report. I asked to be put through to her line manager but he was away so asked to be put through to next most senior, and was promised he would look into the whole problem.
- Was phoned back!!! after 25 minutes to be reassured that something would be done but at present they could not locate my file."
September 17 ~ "How much money has to be wasted and how many lives ruined ....?"
- The Telegraph, reminding us that the famous Crichel Down affair, the big political scandal of 1954, which resulted in the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture, concerned a claim of unfair treatment at the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture. The bone of contention was 725 acres of a farmer's land. It was followed by a public inquiry scathing in its criticisms of official procedures and practices.
Sir Thomas Dugdale told Parliament that he took full responsibility for "any mistakes and inefficiency of officials in my department" - and resigned.
That was 1954. This is now.
- The shrugging off of responsibility by DEFRA and the government over the RPA scandal and the miserable FMD situation - a situation that could, without any need for "hindsight", have been stopped in its tracks on August 5th by the immediate use of the vaccine that was mere yards away, has seemed to so many of us despicable. And as the Telegraph says of poor, ineffectual but bullying DEFRA, "In the space of a few weeks, it has been accused in two inquiries of such culpability as to make the fuss over Crichel Down seem risible ...Vast sums of money have been wasted and people’s lives blighted because of actions taken by or on behalf of ministers, who not only escape responsibility but are often promoted...."
