From The Times
October 18, 2006

Farms error official on gardening leave at £114,000 a year

By Valerie Elliott, Countryside Editor
THE senior civil servant who was removed from office seven months ago for the bungling of £1.5 billion in “green” payments to farmers is still on the government payroll, earning £114,000 a year.

While more than 3,000 farmers are still waiting for last year’s cash for looking after the landscape, Johnston McNeill, former chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency, even received a bonus of £21,062 for overseeing the new cash system after the Common Agricultural Policy was reformed.

Since March 16, when he was ousted from his job by Margaret Beckett, who was then the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Mr McNeill has been on “gardening leave”. This largesse, cour- tesy of the taxpayer, is highlighted today in a report from the National Audit Office, the public spending watchdog. Mr McNeill’s tenure at the agency resulted in such financial and bureaucratic chaos that costs for the farm cash scheme may end up almost five times over budget.

The original estimate of £75.8 million has been revised to a total cost of £258.3 million, without including fines imposed by Brussels for failing to pay 116,000 farmers in England by the end of June this year.

The salary arrangements for Mr McNeill are criticised as unsatisfactory by Phil Gibby, a director at the NAO, who said: “Allowing someone to remain on full pay for so long does not represent value for money.”

The sums are particularly galling for farmers who have already been told that there will be problems in payments for this year, normally due in December, and that it could take at least 18 months before computer systems are operating properly. A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that Mr McNeill was on paid leave “until the department is in a position to determine and agree the terms of his departure”.

The events at the agency are to be the subject of public hearings when Lord Bach, the former Farms Minister, and his predecessor, Lord Whitty, are questioned by MPs next week.

Mr McNeill, who is thought to be living in Northern Ireland, is to speak publicly for the first time about the events at a hearing on November 20. He was unavailable for comment yesterday.