HC Deb 04 May 1995 vol 259 cc291-4W
Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if cases which have had an award provisionally decided under the new tariff-based criminal injuries compensation scheme will now be automatically reviewed under the old scheme and have their appropriate level of compensation determined under the old scheme; [21728]

(2) if cases rejected under the eligibility rules for the criminal injuries compensation tariff scheme will be reassessed following the recent court decision as if they had been submitted under the old criminal injuries compensation scheme; and if any applicant who would have been rejected under the tariff scheme will be approached directly by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to seek from them any additional information required to determine eligibility under the old scheme. [21727]

Mr. Maclean

Yes.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board will notify applicants of any additional information required if they are to have their applications determined under the old scheme rather than the tariff scheme; [21725]

(2) in what circumstances applicants have to make a new application for a review of the award granted under the tariff scheme. [21729]

Mr. Maclean

I understand that the board has already written to every applicant or representative to tell them that their cases will now be decided under the terms of the old, 1990 scheme. The letters made it clear that where further information was required by the board for such assessment, it would be in touch with the addressees again. I further understand any such approaches will be made as soon as possible.

Mr. Mike O'Brien:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if applications now to be submitted to the CICA/CICB should be submitted using the old application form or the new application form based upon the tariff scheme. [21721]

Mr. Maclean

I understand from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board that new applications should be completed on the 1990 scheme forms. Extra stocks of these have been ordered for distribution around the usual networks. Some supplementary application forms are also being printed, in order to enable those who have already completed a tariff scheme application to provide all the additional information required for assessment under the 1990 scheme.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to introduce new legislation to deal with criminal injuries compensation; and to what extent recipients of current criminal injuries compensation are safeguard against retrospective elements in future legislation abating their awards. [21723]

Mr. Maclean

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) on 26 April, column561.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if cases rejected as out of time under the new criminal injuries compensation tariff scheme but which would have been in time under the old criminal injuries compensation scheme will now be re-opened; and if it will be necessary for applicants rejected under the new time limit on the tariff scheme to resubmit their applications. [21726]

Mr. Maclean

I understand that the chairman of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board will be considering personally all "out of time" applications rejected under the former tariff scheme. It will not be necessary for applications to he re-submitted, and the chairman's decisions will be notified to applicants as soon as practicable.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now reinstate CICB members who were given notice of termination to deal with reassessments of cases which have now become necessary following the court decision on the tariff-based criminal injuries compensation scheme; and what assessment he has made of the impact of staffing levels on the time taken to determine applications. [21722]

Mr. Maclean

All board members who had not already stated a wish to stand down had already been offered reappointment to 31 March 1996, before the judgment of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords. Invitations to join the board had also been extended to potential new members to keep the board at or near full strength. Present plans envisage an increase in support staff from 450 to 480 in the current financial year, but the position will be kept under review.

Mr. Mike O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases submitted under the criminal injuries compensation tariff scheme have not yet been decided; and if they will be decided under the pre-tariff scheme or under the tariff scheme. [21724]

Mr. Maclean

Some 72,000 applications were received under the tariff scheme. They will all be assessed or reassessed under the reinstated, 1990, scheme.

Mr. Mike O' Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in cases where criminal injuries compensation would have been greater under the new scheme than under the old scheme, if applicants will receive less than the Home Secretary and the CICA have provisionally awarded to those applicants; and how many people are affected in each category of compensation. [21720]

Mr. Maclean

My right hon. and learned Friend has no direct responsibility for the assessment or award of compensation to individual applicants under the criminal injuries scheme.

Where any award reassessed under the 1990 scheme is lower than the tariff award, the latter will stand. It will not be known how many people fall into that category until all the tariff awards have been reassessed.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of(a) nurses, (b) firefighters, (c) shopworkers and (d) police officers awarded compensation under the criminal injuries compensation scheme were women; [22308]

(2) how many shopworkers (a) in London and (b) in England and Wales have been awarded criminal injuries compensation awards under the new tariff scheme; how many of those awards were less than they would have received under the old scheme; and what was the average amount by which each claimant received a reduced amount. [22309]

Mr. Maclean

Information about awards made to occupational groups under the 1990 scheme is not recorded centrally. It is not therefore possible to make the comparisons required. For awards made under the tariff scheme the proportion of awards made to women was as follows:

Per cent
Medical Personnel 67
Firefighter 0
Police 8

The term "medical personnel" includes doctors and nursing grades.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many(a) firefighters, (b) police officers and (c) nurses (i) in London and (ii) in England and Wales were awarded criminal injuries compensation under the tariff scheme. [22310]

Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 3 May 1995]: The following tariff awards have been made:

Occupational group London England and Wales (including London)
Police 30 182
Firefighter 1 10
Medical personnel 9 51

The term medical personnel includes doctors and nursing grades. No further breakdown is readily available.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown by gender of those awarded criminal injuries compensation under the tariff scheme. [22307]

Mr. Maclean

[holding answer 3 May 1995]: Some 3,332 awards have been made to male victims and 1,774 to female victims. Further awards may be made since all offers of award outstanding at the date of the tariff scheme's withdrawal on 5 April will be honoured if the offers are accepted by claimants. The applications will then be reassessed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board under the reinstated, 1990, scheme in the usual way.