HC Deb 22 February 1990 vol 167 cc912-3W
30. Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what future steps are being taken to reduce the time taken by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to deal with applications for compensation.

Mr. John Patten

We authorised the board in December to recruit 10 extra staff. We have now agreed that 50 more staff may be recruited as soon as possible. This meets in full the recent request of the chairman and the recommendation of the Home Affairs Select Committee (Second Report, Session 1989–90-HC92), for 60 more staff to help the board deal with the expected level of new applications and to reduce arrears.

The reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Sir J. Wheeler) on 8 December at columns 409–17, set out the revised criminal injuries compensation scheme and described other steps already take to improve the board's performance. The first phase of the board's major computer project referred to in that answer will begin in March. The board proposes to use the discretion conferred under the new scheme to delegate to staff decisions on a limited range of cases from 1 April 1990.

75. Mr. Ashton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to inform the social services departments of all local councils that criminal injuries compensation is available to all victims of child abuse or marital violence.

Mr. John Patten

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board wrote to all social services departments in Great Britain in October 1989 giving details of the application of the scheme to victims of violence, and in particular to child victims of such crimes.

Mr. Clelland

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce computers into the offices of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

Mr. John Patten

Portable computers have been in use at the board since 1987. A major computer project—case location and information management system—was approved in December 1989. This is a centralised database system using the mainframe Home Office computer. Training has begun on the first phase of the project, which will go live in March and provide for the registration and acknowledgement of all new claims and the issue of medical and police inquiry forms. Subsequent phases will allow for monitoring of case progress, the issuing of reminder and other letters and accounting and statistical facilities.

58. Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims in the years 1987, 1988 and 1989 received compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for sums between £550 and £750; and what percentage this represented of the total number of awards in those years.

60. Mr. Murphy

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims in the years 1987, 1988 and 1989 received compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for sums between £550 and £750; and what percentage this represented of the total number of awards in those years.

Mr. John Patten

The breakdown of awards by size of award is given in paragraph 8.1 of the board's annual report for the year ended 31 March 1989 (Cm 900). These figures indicate that the number of awards of between £550 and £750 in the three years ended 31 March 1987, 1988 and 1989, were about 3,800, 3,700 and 5,700, a percentage of the total awards in these years of 17.3, 17.7 and 20.6, respectively.