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<p>The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group
for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses
for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with
Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special
payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the
organisations’ obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.</p><p> </p><p>(a) 2018-19</p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Loss / Special Payment</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Amount
(£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Description</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>137,750.00</p></td><td><p>1
project that the European Court of Auditors reduced the project value, resulting in
a reduction of £137,750</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>122,157.55</p></td><td><p>2
projects were subject to Legal proceedings by MMO (Marine Management Organisation).
The applicant was found guilty, but the Court judgement was that funding could not
be recovered.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>64,239.52</p></td><td><p>2
projects where the company is bankrupt and administrators have advised repayment of
grant is unlikely</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>32,559.55</p></td><td><p>9
projects paid at incorrect intervention rate totalling £32,559.55. The irregularity
was detected by Audit and covered the period from 2010 - 15.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>9,997.88</p></td><td><p>1
Project subject to both Ombudsman referral and MMO Legal consideration</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>3,449.67</p></td><td><p>Invoice
number 1000052670 dated 17 June 2015 for £5,249.67 to recover a salary overpayment.
Regular repayments had been made but these ceased in January 2017. SSCL have been
unable to contact person & there has been no response to the final notice that
SSCL (Shared Services Connected Ltd) sent in May 2017.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>2,577.94</p></td><td><p>1
project was subject to overpayment, which was detected after final payment at the
end of the EFF (European Fisheries Fund) scheme. Identified as part of formal EFF
closure activity.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>1,897.81</p></td><td><p>3
Projects were detected by Audit activities during the course of the Programme and
total £1,897.81. One project was overpaid due to exchange rate calculation, one refused
to repay the small OP and cited bankruptcy, with the final applicant being untraceable
from 2015.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>1,469.90</p></td><td><p>Invoice
1000064304 dated 22 April 2016 for £1,469.90 to recover an overpayment of a season
ticket advance. SSCL have been unable to contact him & there has been no response
to the final notice that SSCL sent in May 2017.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>1,108.94</p></td><td><p>Damage
to cage traps used during badger control culling operation for bovine TB disease controls
in 2018 by anti culling activists. 12 cage traps were damaged beyond repair.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>580.35</p></td><td><p>System
error which added an incorrect VAT sum to an invoice. Beyond legal recovery period.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>454.14</p></td><td><p>Paid
£587.50 to wrong supplier. Partially recovered in legacy. Beyond legal recovery period.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>193.52</p></td><td><p>Travel
reimbursement paid to wrong employee who left shortly after. Would require full trace
at circa £50 plus staff time to find sufficient records to instigate plus potential
chasing costs. Uneconomic to recover.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>101.46</p></td><td><p>Land
line phone calls billed after employee left. Would require full trace at circa £50
plus staff time to find sufficient records to instigate plus potential chasing costs.
Uneconomic to recover.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>44.40</p></td><td><p>Legacy
system error which added VAT. Beyond legal recovery period.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>42.24</p></td><td><p>Credit
note for 2 invoices paid in legacy system which was partially recovered in final payment
to supplier in February 2012. Beyond legal recovery period.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>27.97</p></td><td><p>Personal
mobile calls billed after employee left. Beyond legal recovery period.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>27.00</p></td><td><p>SSCL
have advised that the remaining balance on the invoice of £27.00 has arisen due to
the deduction of bank charges from the customer's payment and exchange rate variances.
As the customer is based overseas it is uneconomical to pursue.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>5.90</p></td><td><p>Personal
mobile calls billed after employee left. Uneconomic to recover.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>0.23</p></td><td><p>Personal
mobile calls billed after employee left. Uneconomic to recover.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>0.01</p></td><td><p>Invoice
1000064804 dated 30 April 2016 for £24,000. This invoice was raised to recover Defra's
incorrect payment of invoice 1129585 on 16th March 2016. The invoice has been part
paid but given the outstanding amount of £0.01, it is uneconomical to pursue the remaining
balance.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special Payment</p></td><td><p>3,250.00</p></td><td><p>A
consolatory payment of £3,250 has been recommended by the Parliamentary and Health
Ombudsman (PHSO). £500 has been paid leaving an outstanding balance of £2,750. PHSO
found that there had been maladministration by Defra in relation to the online portal
in relation to the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones scheme and that someone had suffered injustice
from Defra</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special Payment</p></td><td><p>119.00</p></td><td><p>Request
for a replacement of a damaged item of clothing - A member of staff had their jacket
damaged by a fire door whilst on duty on MMO premises.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>(b) 2019-20</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Loss / Special Payment</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Amount
(£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Description</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>20,395.66</p></td><td><p>Damage
to cage traps, GPS trackers and smart phone with tracking devices used during badger
control culling operation for bovine TB (Tuberculosis) disease controls in 2019 by
anti culling activists. 5 cage traps, 178 smart phones and 8 trackers were damaged
beyond repair.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special Payment</p></td><td><p>54,596.00</p></td><td><p>Derbyshire
Lunar Cull – costs to company after cancelled cull programme.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special
Payment</p></td><td><p>5,000.00</p></td><td><p>HR staff case (sensitive and details
not for circulation outside of Defra Finance and HR teams).</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special
Payment</p></td><td><p>1,224.00</p></td><td><p>Judicial Review / Costs of cancelled
mediation to claimant’s solicitors.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special Payment</p></td><td><p>1,000.00</p></td><td><p>Allegations
of failure to arrange reasonable adjustments.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special Payment</p></td><td><p>75.00</p></td><td><p>Missing
personal property.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>(c) 2020-21</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Loss
/ Special Payment</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Amount (£)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Description</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>240,257.00</p></td><td><p>Historic
invoicing not recovered</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>15,597.62</p></td><td><p>Damage
to cage traps, GPS (Global Positioning System) trackers and smart phones/sims with
tracking devices used during badger control culling operation for bovine TB disease
controls in 2020 by anti culling activists. 2 cage traps, 132 smart phones and 38
trackers were damaged beyond repair.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>1,445.04</p></td><td><p>TUPE
(Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment)) from EA (Environment Agency)
to Defra. Came in on a TARA (Temporary Additional Responsibility Allowance) and her
manager subsequently increased her TARA payments outside of existing policy. Her revised
salary was confirmed to her by SSCL HR (Human Resources). Staff member was unaware
this additional payment was not allowed. As no fault of the individual HR are proposing
that this is written off rather than recovered</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Loss</p></td><td><p>740.15</p></td><td><p>Sick
pay was entered on SOP incorrectly by her manager leading to overpayment of £740.15.
Staff member has since died and as such HR do not want to pursue her estate for the
recovery of the overpayment</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special Payment</p></td><td><p>9,000.00</p></td><td><p>Race
and Disability case. Settlement to offset tribunal costs.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Special
Payment</p></td><td><p>8,500.00</p></td><td><p>Reflects liability on the unfair dismissal
claim</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p>
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