HC Deb 02 December 1980 vol 995 c136W
Miss Richardson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the arrangements for making "ex gratia" payments to those who have been wrongfully imprisoned in Northern Ireland; or if there are no such arrangements, when he proposes to introduce them.

Mr. Alison

In Northern Ireland, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, anyone who considers he has been wrongfully charged or convicted may pursue a remedy in the civil courts. In exceptional circumstances claims for ex gratia payments may be considered where hardship has resulted but normally only where there has been some default on the part of a public authority.