HC Deb 10 January 1995 vol 252 cc88-90W
Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals have been made against payments offered under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board since 1 April 1994; and what has been the administrative cost of processing those appeals.

Mr. Maclean

The tariff scheme started on 1 April 1994. Applications lodged before then are being dealt with by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. Applications lodged subsequently are being handled by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

CICB advises that at the end of December 1994 3,357 appeals had been lodged since 1 April 1994, all in respect of applications made before that date. Based on expenditure in 1993–94, the administrative cost of processing this number of appeals is likely to be about £2.5 million.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offers of payment were made by the criminal injuries compensation scheme in November; and in which of the tariff bands these awards fell.

Mr. Maclean

Five hundred and ninety five offers of award were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, under the tariff scheme. They fell into the following tariff bands:

Band Number of awards offered
1 135
2 36
3 158
4 8
5 59
6 26
7 87
8 22
9 8
10 11
11 6
12 36
13 1
16 2

Additionally, offers of award were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in respect of residual cases lodged before 1 April 1994 under the former arrangements. The CICB is however, unable to say how many such offers were made in November 1994.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department is giving applicants to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority about the outcome of their applications in the event of a legal challenge to the establishment of the authority being successful.

Mr. Maclean

Applications under the scheme are considered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, not the Home or Scottish Offices. In a standard notice sent to all claimants offered a tariff award, CICA explains that, pending resolution of the legal challenge, the award is being made on a provisional, without prejudice basis, and that if the tariff scheme is withdrawn or altered as a result of the court proceedings the application would be reassessed.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of administering the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in 1993–94; and what proportion of that cost was devoted to dealing with appeals.

Mr. Maclean

The provisional outturn cost of administering the CICB in 1993–94 was £17.3 million, of which an estimated £3.4 million—19.6 per cent.—was devoted to hearings administration.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many payments were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in each month from April 1992 to April 1994.

Mr. Maclean

The total number of awards made by the CICB in the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1994 was 77,273. The CICB is unable to provide a breakdown by month.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for Home Department how many payments were made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board between(a) 1 April 1993 and 1 April 1994 and (b) 1 April 1994 and 21 November 1994 in the bands: (i) £1,000 to £4,999, (ii) £5,000 to £9,999, (iii) £10,000 to £24,999 and (iv) above £25,000.

Mr. Maclean

The following information has been provided by the CICB:

  • a) payments made between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1994
  • 32,345 between £1,000—£4,999
  • 3,398 between £5,000—£9,999
  • 2,139 over £10,000.
  • b) payments made between 1 April 1994 and 31 October 1994 (figures not available after that date)
  • 10,801 between £1,000—£4,999
  • 1,306 between £5,000—£9,999
  • 975 over £10,000

No further breakdown of payments exceeding £10,000 is readily available.

In addition the CICA made two payments in the period 1 April 1994 to 31 October 1994, one in the category £1,000 to £4,999, the other in the category £5,000 to £9,999.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to publish each month, the number of offers made by the criminal injuries compensation scheme.

Mr. Maclean

No. Information about the number of offers made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority will be published each year in the authority's annual report. We see no need for more frequent publication.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of the Home Department what plans he has for uprating the level of compensation payable by the criminal injuries compensation scheme.

Mr. Maclean

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made during debate on the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill on 20 October 1994,Official Report, column 452.