§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will legislate to allow compensation to be paid in Northern Ireland to victims of child sexual abuse who have since become adults; whether such legislation, bringing Northern Ireland into line with Scotland, England and Wales, is already in draft; approximately how many such cases are known; and what is the estimated cost.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (Baroness Denton of Wakefield)The Government have no plans to change the criminal injuries compensation legislation in Northern Ireland, and no amending legislation has been drafted. The scheme is different in concept from that in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, awards are made on the quantum for common law damages cases, whereas in Great Britain compensation is paid on the basis of a statutory tariff, which results in generally lower level settlements than claims based on common law damages. There is also a two-year time limit on applications, as