Annual running cost of the CAP payment system: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


FOI reference: FOI/17/02690
Date received: 3 November 2017
Date responded: 7 December 2017

Information requested

A.) Annual running cost of the Scottish Government CAP payment system?
B.) What was the initial planned annual cost for the system?
C.) What are the main reasons for the change in running cost?
D.) Can I get a break down of the different running costs of the system and any changes between initial budget and current planned budget.

Response

The answer to your questions are noted below.

A.) Annual running cost of the Scottish Government CAP payment system?

The operating cost of processing CAP payments is not separately identified from the overall cost of running and developing Directorate for Agriculture and the Rural Economy (ARE) IT services.

Our overall IT budget for 2017-18 is summarised below:-

Revenue £m Capital £m Total £m Comment
14.8 30.2 45.0 This covers all operating and development costs

B.) What was the initial planned annual cost for the system? C.) What are the main reasons for the change in running cost? D.) Can I get a break down of the different running costs of the system and any changes between initial budget and current planned budget.

The operating costs of the new CAP IT Platform could not be known until a steady annual business cycle position was achieved, and development had reached a stage where legacy systems could be decommissioned.

2017-18 is the transition year from the CAP Futures development Programme to a steady annual business cycle operation. It was always recognised that, due to the way the new CAP regime operates, it would take three complete SAF years (2015-17) to reach that steady annual business cycle position. The Stabilisation Plan announced in Parliament on 12 September 2017 by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing describes the actions being taken (the Plan can be accessed online: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00524624.pdf).

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference

Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

Back to top