§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when criminals in prison who are victims of a crime are informed of the criminal injuries compensation scheme; what the eligibility criteria are which are used by the CICS to determine if an application is acceptable; how many(a) ex-prisoners and (b) prisoners who have been victims of serious crime have received compensation from the CICS in each of the last five years; how much compensation such people have received; and what the basis was of each award. [37075]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme provides compensation to victims of violent crime. Victims of non-violent crime must look elsewhere for compensation or redress.
Legal services officers in each prison establishment are able to provide information to prisoners about the scheme and how to apply for compensation if they have been the victim of a violent crime.
The eligibility criteria are set out in the scheme itself, and the accompanying "Guide to Applicants" explains how applications are assessed against them. The scheme includes a provision enabling awards to be reduced or withheld on account of the applicant's record of criminal convictions.
The scheme is administered by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). They have no means of determining whether an applicant is an "ex-prisoner". Their only means of identifying current prisoners is by a computer search of applicants' addresses for the words "Her Majesty's (HM) Prison", and then excluding those who are prison officers. In the last five years the following awards have been made to those so identified as prisoners. 1497W
- 1996–97: £5,000, £3,120, £3,750.
- 1997–98: £1,260, £1,350*, £1,000*, £5,000.
- 1998–99: 000, £500, £1,000.
- 1999–2000: £3,500, £500, £5,375, £1,000, £8,700
- 2000–01: £375.
All but two of these awards (starred) were reduced awards. Thirty-seven applications remain outstanding.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether criminals in prison who are victims of crime receive the support of the witness service at the Crown Court. [37072]
§ Beverley HughesThe Witness Service, at both the Crown Court and magistrates' courts, is provided through the organisation Victim Support, whose grant from the Home Office in 2001–02 is £25 million.
Victim Support advise that the Witness Service does offer support to those in custody at court buildings where they are appearing as witnesses in a trial, but not if they are appearing as defendants. Those supported may fall into one of the following categories: they are serving a sentence and the alleged crime took place in prison: they are on remand; or they have been brought in on a bench warrant.
Where witness support is to be offered, the visit must be cleared with the police and prosecuting authority. Visits can only be made in the presence of one of those authorities for legal reasons.