Officials are working overtime to ensure farmers affected by a Scottish Government payments blunder will receive loan cash to help them, MSPs have heard.

Rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing insisted staff in his department are "busting a gut" to make sure those entitled to financial help receive it.

The loan scheme was announced in September after ministers admitted the troubled new IT system set up to deliver European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments was "not there yet", resulting in delayed payments.

He also apologised to farmers after some were mistakenly told they were entitled to less cash than they should be eligible for.

Ewing told MSPs there are now "a maximum of 350" who have yet to receive a payment for 2015 under the CAP scheme.

He said: "We are now very close to completing the last of the 2015 direct support payments to farmers and crofters, and I remain absolutely determined to ensure every farmer and crofter due a payment for 2015 receives it in full.

"Approximately 18,000 farmers and crofters have received a payment. There is now a maximum of 350 who have not yet received a 2015 payment."

Most of this group will have received a loan, Ewing added.

He told MSPs manual checking had "uncovered an undervaluation which affected some potential applicants", adding the "farmers and crofters significantly affected by this undervaluation have now been written to again to advise them of their revised loan offer".

Ewing said: "The error is regrettable and I apologise to anyone affected, but immediate steps have been taken to rectify matters."

He insisted the Scottish Government is "working flat out to complete the 2015 CAP payments, to implement the 2016 loan scheme and to put the 2016 CAP payments on to a proper footing".

He came under fire from Conservative MSP Peter Chapman, however, who said: "Once again the Cabinet secretary has been dragged to this chamber to explain his inability to get money to the farming community, money which is rightfully theirs and is desperately needed."

The Tory claimed Ewing "failed miserably" to deal with the delayed payments, telling MSPs: "There has been no step change in the speed that the money has gone out, it continues to flow at a snail's pace."

The Cabinet secretary insisted 97% of all basic payments had now been settled in full.

"I absolutely understand that many farmers and crofters have suffered difficulties, some of them seriously. I will not be satisfied until everyone is paid in full," he said.

"We are busting a gut to make sure as many people as possible are entitled to a loan will get a loan.

"My officials are working flat-out, including overtime, which is a sensible measure to ensure every farmer can get a loan under the scheme if he or she is so entitled.

"That will involve a lot of detailed work but I am determined that it be carried out and it is being carried out."