§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the working of the Criminal 466W Injuries Compensation Board; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonBroadly, yes. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is, however, under review by an official working party which is considering what modifications, if any, may be desirable if the scheme is to be placed on a statutory footing.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if police authorities advise victims of criminal assaults of their rights under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonI understand that this is normal police practice.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the publicity given regarding the entitlement of the public to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThe question of publicity for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is being looked at by the official working party which is reviewing the operation of the scheme.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total amount paid by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, to the most recent convenient date.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonBy 31st March 1974,£19,244,629.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims have been settled by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to the latest convenient date; and how many claims are still outstanding.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThe information, for the period ended 31st March 1974, is shown in the following table:
Cases resolved (1.8.64–31.3.74) 56,636 Cases in which interim awards have been made but where the final amount of compensation has not been assessed 1,799 Claims awaiting hearings, pending or adjourned 427 Claims awaiting applicants' decisions 792 Claims under investigation 6,110
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the 467W highest award made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to the most recent convenient date.
§ Mr. Alexander W. Lyon£51,000.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken in settling claims submitted to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonI regret that the precise information is not available. The table below gives the length of time taken by the board's staff in the year ended 31st March 1974 to investigate claims up to the point where they are submitted for the decision of a single member of the board. The table does not include the time taken by an applicant in deciding whether to accept an award made by the single member, the time taken to arrange for the case to be heard before three members of the board if the claimant does not accept the single member's assessment, or the time taken to reach a final settlement where the board makes an interim award, possibly because there is insufficient information available about the victim's medical condition.
Time taken to investigate cases Percentage Not more than 3 months 32 More than 3 months, not more than 6 months 43 More than 6 months, not more than 9 months 15 More than 9 months, not more than 12 months 6 More than 12 months 4
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many claims have been submitted to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board from the Merseyside Metropolitan County area to the most recent date; how many have been settled; and how many are outstanding;
(2) what is the total amount of awards made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to claimants from the Merseyside Metropolitan County area to the most recent convenient date;
(3) what is the highest award made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to a claimant from the Merseyside Metropolitan County area to the most recent convenient date.
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§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonI regret that this information is not available. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board does not classify information about claims or awards by the area in which the incident occurs or in which the applicant resides.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many awards have been made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board following the death of the claimant's relative or dependant.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonAlthough the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board keeps information about the number of applications made in cases where the victim has died, figures for the number of awards made in these cases have been recorded only since 1967. Between 1st April 1967 and 31st March 1974, 671 awards were made in cases where the claims were based upon the death of the victim as a result of his injury.