§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the extent of direct funding by his Department of locally-run victim support schemes and on the appointment of regional liaison officers for the National Association of Victim Support Schemes.
§ Mr. MellorI would refer my hon. Friend to the recent Government reply (Cmnd. 9457) to the report of the Home Affairs Committee on compensation and support for victims of crime (HC 43).
§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total cost of the victim support scheme nationally; and whether his Department collects information on the number of references made each year by local schemes.
§ Mr. MellorWe have made no estimate of the total cost of victims support schemes. We rely on the National Association of Victims Support Schemes for information about the number of cases dealt with by local schemes. I understand that the number in 1983 was 65,254 and in 1984 about 100,000.