§ Mr. ShersbyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to resolve cases 17W submitted to it; if there are any plans to reduce the period between the submission of a claim and payment of compensation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenInformation in this form is not available, but the percentage of cases resolved by the board within certain periods of registration is shown in paragraph 6 of its latest annual report (Cm 536), a copy of which is in the Library.
To speed up the processing of claims, the board's staff complement has been increased from 220 in 1987 to 320 now. A new office opened in Glasgow, which houses two thirds of the board's staff, and is now fully operational.
The board is reviewing its administrative procedures with the aim of reducing the time taken to resolve applications.