CAPIS Rollout

After several weeks of testing the system with a small number of agents and customers, the RPA is now starting to roll out the new CAP Information Service (CAPIS) further.  But this will be very much a staged approach with agents and farmers having to wait to be invited onto the system.  The aim is for the majority of agents to be in a position to access the service by the end of December. Over the last week, the RPA has spoken to 10 agents inviting them onto the system.  Once these have been tested a further 70 agents who deal with more than 50 SBIs will be contacted over the telephone and invited onto the system.  Again, once these have successfully registered, the RPA will contact about 170 firms who are registered as agents.  An individual in the firm will be identified to take the lead on registering their firm for CAPIS.  The RPA has identified that this will leave about 330 individual agents that are known to them who will then be invited on to the system.

The RPA is aware that there will also be another group of agents who are not ‘known’ to them as they have never been empowered by clients to act on their behalf.  If these people now want to be able to access the CAPIS they will need to register with the RPA first and get a Personal Identification (PI) number, this can be done by contacting the Customer Service Centre 0345 6037777 and they will then be invited on to the new system.

It is becoming obvious to us that the timetable is slipping; earlier in the year we were reporting that farmers should be receiving their packs in the autumn and they should register and aim to check their personal & business details and confirm their land before the New Year.  It now looks more likely to be the New Year before farmers are even invited onto the system. 

As previously said, agents and farmers will be invited to use the system. The first step will be to verify themselves through GOV.UK Verify.  It is not yet clear to us just how everybody will be invited.  Initially we were told packs would be sent out, but we are not sure whether this will now take place.  The RPA has said it will send an e-mail containing a web address to direct customers to start the GOV.UK Verify process.  We assume where an e-mail address is not registered with the RPA they will be contacted by post. 

GOV.UK Verify is the new way for people to prove their identity when using digital services.  The Government Gateway is gradually being replaced across all government on-line services by GOV.UK Verify and cannot be used to access the new CAP Information Service.  To prove who you are, both agents and clients will need to answer questions about themselves and their finances so that the verification company can confirm their identity. The user will need to set-up some security questions and create a username and password which will be required to login in each time.  Feedback from people who have been testing the system has highlighted that the information required is more than people will know ‘off the top of their head’ and it will be necessary for agents and farmers to gather information about themselves before going through the process.  The RPA has included a ‘hints & tips for GOV.UK verify’ on its website at: https://capreform.blog.gov.uk/verify/ Those wishing to verify themselves should be prepared to give the following information:

• e-mail address
• Telephone number (can be a mobile)
• Address as held on the electoral roll, any details of other residents who live there
• Length of time lived there, other previous addresses, including dates when lived there
• UK passport (with at least six months left) or photocard driver’s licence (16 digit licence number will be required)

Financial information may also be required, including:

• Personal bank accounts, credit cards, store cards
• Dates when bank accounts were set up
• Loan and mortgage details
• Utility bills

The verification process is done via a third party, currently it is only available through Experian, but other providers are expected to join soon including the Post Office.  Nobody will be excluded from using CAPIS.  Where verification is not possible GOV.UK Verify will direct customers to other ways to register, but an e-mail address will still be required.  Unfortunately, we do not have any further information of these other ways as yet.  It does appear however that not everybody in the farming partnership needs to register.  Only one beneficiary of the claim needs to register via GOV.UK Verify, but once on the digital service they will be prompted to supply their business details, including details of other accountable people in the partnership, such as business partners.

Once verified users will automatically be taken to the CAPIS Welcome page.  Agents will be able to choose to be recognised as an individual or as part of a Firm on the system.  If setting up as part of a Firm, a key individual (administrator) needs to be identified, they will set up the ‘Firm’ on the system and will receive a Firm Reference Number (FRN).  Each employee within the firm who wishes to use the system, will need to go through the verification process above.  Once completed they will receive a Customer Reference Number (CRN). The administrator will need names and CRNs for each employee to link them to the firm.  It will be these CRNs or FRNs that clients will need to be able to give agents or a firm ‘permission’ to assist with their application if they wish.

On the new system ‘permissions’ (previously empowerments) will be split into four areas:

• Business details
• Land details
• Entitlements
• Basic Payment Scheme

Within each area there will be different levels of permissions.  Permissions for entitlements are now separate so that one agent could be dealing with entitlement transfers whilst another is assisting with the BPS claim.

Once farmers have gone through the verification process, they will need to check their personal and business details, they can then give agents different levels of permission if they wish.  It is at this point they will require their agent’s CRN number (or FRN) see above which is partly why RPA would like to get agents signed up first.  In practice, many agents will probably assist their clients in the verification process and the setting up of permissions.

The final step farmers and agents are able to do until the next release of CAPIS (due February) will be to confirm the land.  Land details should have been transferred over from the old system, but this needs checking to ensure it has been done correctly.  In addition the land cover for each parcel can be checked and updated i.e. whether it is permanent grassland, arable or permanent crops.  It will also be possible to map EFA features which can then be checked to ensure there is sufficient for the greening requirements.  But it will not be possible to change field boundaries or transfer fields etc until the next release of CAPIS.

After Release 2 of CAPIS from February 2015, it will be possible to check entitlements, transfer entitlements via the system, confirm active farmer status and make applications to the National Reserve and for the Young Farmer payment.  The final element will be drawing all the above stages together and submitting the claim by 15th May.

As can be seen the system is still being developed (this is the design and is meant to happen) as feedback is received changes can be expected.  We will try to keep readers informed.