§ Mr. Mellorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he proposes to make any changes in the criminal injuries compensation scheme.
§ Mr. WhitelawI propose to increase the lower limit of £150 on compensation which may be awarded under the scheme. This limit needs to be revised periodically to ensure that trivial cases of a kind never intended to be eligible for compensation continue to be excluded. The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have decided that, when an injury is sustained on or after 1 April 1981, compensation will be payable under the scheme only if the injury was one for which compensation of not less than £250 would be awarded. This present increase is intended to restore the original value of the lower limit without altering the scope or purpose of the scheme. The new limit will apply also to injuries sustained before 1 April if the application is received after 30 June 1981.