§ Mr. David Marshallasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to revise the criminal injuries compensation scheme so as to ensure that victims of crimes are not penalised, when assessing compensation, by having committed an offence of a minor kind, or when the offence has been expunged from the victim's record, and in particular when the offence in either case is one of an unconnected nature.
§ Mr. MayhewWe have no plans to limit the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board's general discretion under the scheme to take account of an applicant's character and way of life in considering eligibility for compensation from public funds. The board's approach to the exercise of this discretion is explained in its seventeenth report—Cmnd. 8401, page 62, paragraph K. An applicant who is dissatisfied with a decision on the amount of compensation by a single member of the board—for example, because of the way in which this discretion has been exercised—is entitled to a hearing of his or her case before three other members.