The Integrated Administration and Control System: guidance

10. Appeals and complaints

Appeals against our decision

If you have been penalised and are not sure why we made this decision or do not understand it you should contact your SGRPID area office. If, after this, you are still not satisfied with our decision then you may wish to submit a formal appeal under the EU Agricultural Subsidies Appeals procedure. The appeal needs to be received by us within 60 calendar days from the date of our decision letter. You can get a copy of the appeal form ( AP1) from your SGRPID area office or alternatively download a copy from the Scottish Government website.

The appeals procedure is set out in the booklet EU Agricultural Subsidy Schemes Appeals Guidance which you will also find on our website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/grants/standardsservices/Appeals.

Please note all formal appeals should be sent to our EU Agricultural Appeals Secretariat, Room 343, Pentland House, 47 Robb's Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY. You can also contact them at appealssecretariat@scotland.gsi.gov.uk if you need more information.

Complaints about our standard of service

We aim to provide a high quality service to all our customers but sometimes things can go wrong and we may not meet these standards. The complaints procedure allows you to raise any concerns you may have. We will treat your complaint seriously and send you a full response.

If you wish to complain, the booklet Complaints Procedure for Agricultural Matters (CF1-2004) explains how we will handle your complaint and the standard of service you should expect from us while we look in to your complaint.

For more information about our complaints procedure please contact the Complaints Secretariat at Agri-Complaints@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

Other ways to complain

You may complain in other ways. You may ask your Member of the Scottish Parliament (or your Member of the UK Parliament) to take up your complaint with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment at the Scottish Government, Pentland House, 47 Robb's Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY.

If you have used our complaints procedure and are still not satisfied, you (or your representative) may ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to investigate your complaint. Your representative may be an MSP, local councillor or any person you consider suitable to represent your interests. Your complaint must be submitted to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7NS within 12 months after the day on which you first had notice of the matter which you are complaining about. You can find more information about the Scottish Public Sector Ombudsman at www.scottishombudsman.org.uk.

If you are satisfied with the service we have provided, or wish to highlight some exceptional performance, we would be happy to hear from you. We would welcome your suggestions on how we might build on the service we provide.