§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to allow the families of(a) all murder victims, (b) parents of adult victims, (c) the adult children of murder victims, (d) the unmarried partners of murder victims and (e) the fathers of illegitimate murder victims who applied for compensation under the tariff-based scheme of criminal injury compensation which was announced in April 1994 and subsequently withdrawn to make a new application under the terms of the new scheme he proposes to implement from April 1996 under the terms of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995. [2309]
§ Mr. MacleanAll applications received under the former tariff scheme fall to be considered or reconsidered under the terms of the 1990 scheme as the only scheme lawfully in force. To allow applicants in any particular category to withdraw a claim lodged between 1 April 1994 and 5 April 1995 and then reapply under the proposed new scheme would be wrong in principle and anomalous in practice.
Not all applicants in the categories mentioned who were eligible under the former tariff scheme are ineligible under the 1990 scheme. For example, parents of adult victims may have been dependent on their children and thus qualify for an award in respect of that dependency; so too might a common law spouse dependent on the deceased partner. There may be cases where such a claim either fails, or is treated less generously under the 1990 scheme criteria than might be the case under the proposed new tariff scheme. But we cannot reasonably adopt an arrangement whereby applicants since 1 April 1994 can select which scheme they wish to be bound by according to the perceived advantages and disadvantages.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were received from the families of murder victims in general and specifically from(a) parents of adult victims, (b) the adult children of murder victims, (c) the married partners of murder victims and (d) the fathers of illegitimate murder victims, under the tariff-based scheme of criminal injury compensation which was announced in April 1994 and subsequently withdrawn. [2293]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 24 November 1995]: A total of 1,246 applications in respect of fatal cases were received under the former tariff scheme. All applications received under that scheme are subject to consideration or reconsideration under the 1990 scheme. That has meant 651W making changes to the data held and dispersing the case papers to board members and staff for assessment. A precise analysis of the relationship between the applicant and the victim, and the other data requested, are not therefore readily available and could not be provided without disproportionate effort. The board has, however, provided the following summary of the position.
A total of 1,192 fatal applications were outstanding when the tariff scheme was withdrawn. About a third were from a parent or parents, some 30 per cent. were in respect of children under 18 years of age, about 20 per cent. were from children aged 18 or over, and some 15 per cent. were from spouses, whether formally married or regarded as a spouse in common law.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was paid out to the families or murder victims in total and specifically to(a) parents of adult victims, (b) the adult children of murder victims and (c) the unmarried partners or murder victims and (d) the fathers of illegitimate murder victims under the tariff-based scheme of criminal injury compensation which was announced in April 1994 and subsequently withdrawn. [2295]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 24 November 1995]: The board advises that precise figures are not readily available.
Its estimate is that 40 applications resulted in provisional payment of awards, including funeral expenses, totalling some £200,000.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total cost involved if all applications received from the families of murder victims and specifically from(a) parents of adult victims, (b) the adult children of murder victims, (c) the unmarried partners of murder victims and (d) the fathers of illegitimate murder victims were to be paid under the terms set out in the tariff-based scheme of criminal injury compensation which was announced in April 1994 and subsequently withdrawn. [2294]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 24 November 1995]: Taking account of the proportion of cases which might have failed the eligibility criteria—perhaps 20 per cent.— the total cost might have been of the order of £5 million. Assuming that 250 eligible applicants were from the specific categories mentioned, the estimate for these is in the range £1.25–£2.5 million.