The second assessment round for Rural Priorities is now underway, with the 11 Regional Proposal Assessment Committee (RPAC) meetings being held between 20 and 31 October 2008.
The final assessment round for 2008 will commence at the beginning of December, with meetings scheduled between 1 and 9 December.
At a recent stakeholder meeting, we were asked to extend the period of application for land based multi-annual agreements to maximise the opportunity for applicants to present Proposals with a 1st January 2009 start date.
In order to ensure the effective use of available funding and provide applicants with the maximum opportunity to submit Proposals, it is proposed to hold the first assessment round for 2009 in late February. Applicants will be able to include Proposals with multi-annual agri-environment elements to be awarded and begin work in 2009.
Two further assessment rounds will be scheduled in June and September/October 2009, with the timing notified in advance, to enable applicants and agents to plan the completion and submission of their applicants to best suit their own business requirements.
For future years, it is proposed that the normal timetable would be for assessment rounds to be held in March, June and September each year.
Key dates for the December 2008 and February 2009 RPACs are as follows:
| Event | December 2008 Assessment Round | February 2009 Assessment Round |
|---|
| Cut off date for committed Proposals ** | 10 November 2008 | 9 February 2009 |
| Cut off date for scored Proposals (internal deadline) | 17 November 2008 | 16 February 2009 |
| RPAC meeting dates | 1-9 December 2008 | 25-26 February 2009 |
** - Please note that any Proposal committed after the cut off date will not go forward to that RPAC. However, we cannot guarantee that all Proposals committed by the cut off date will be considered by that RPAC, as the time taken for a Case Officer to assess and score a Proposal will vary, depending on the complexity of each Proposal and any advice from other public bodies which may be required.
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