§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of cases currently awaiting a hearing before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; how many cases have been cleared each quarter for each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [7944]
§ Mr. MacleanThe number of cases currently awaiting hearing before the board is some 26,000. The number of such cases cleared in the period April 1993 to March 1996 is as follows:
Quarter 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 April-June 2,388 3,241 2,334 July-September 2,685 2,751 2,274 October-December 2,560 3,033 2,796 January-March 3,315 2,254 2,831 Total 10,948 11,279 10,235 Early this year the membership of the board was increased from 44 to 49 to assist in tackling the backlog arising from the 1990 common law damages based scheme. The board is aiming to clear 12,000 appeals cases in 1996–97 and more in 1997–98. On 1 April 1996, a new tariff-based scheme was introduced with a separate appeals panel established to provide a wholly independent system for appeals and to deal with them more speedily.