§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the current system of criminal injuries compensation in so far as it relates to sexual offences; and if he will make a statement. [65923]
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§ Mr. BoatengWe have been reviewing the criminal injuries compensation scheme in the light of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review, and are considering whether any changes to the scheme might be necessary or desirable. That consideration includes the awards for injuries resulting from sexual offences. We hope to be able to announce shortly how we intend to carry this forward.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount paid in compensation for loss of earnings by the CICA and the CICB for each year from 1990 to the present. [65924]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Criminal Injuries Compensation Board advise that there is no data to distinguish loss of earnings from other elements of compensation paid in respect of claims settled by them under the scheme based on common law damages. The approach was often to make an inclusive award which encompassed a loss of earnings element, but which did not quantify it precisely.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority advise that under the tariff-based scheme, introduced with effect from 1 April 1996, the amount of compensation paid for loss of earnings is as follows:
Year £ 1996–97 22,470 1997–98 351,013 April to December 1998 1,735,886 These figures reflect the increase in claims ready for settlement from the scheme's introduction.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of successful applicants for criminal injuries compensation received compensation for loss of earnings from the CICA, having been absent from work for at least 28 weeks, in each year from 1996 to 1998. [65926]
§ Mr. BoatengThe percentage of all successful claims settled by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority which have included a loss of earnings element is as follows:
Year Percentage 1996–97 0.08 1997–98 0.29 April to December 1998 0.69 These figures substantially under-represent the percentage likely to result from a more representative cohort of settled claims once the new scheme has fully bedded in.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average time taken to settle claims for criminal injuries compensation by the CICA and its predecessor the CICB in each year from 1990 to the present. [65925]
§ Mr. BoatengThere are no meaningful average waiting times for settling claims for criminal injuries compensation. Claims under the scheme vary greatly in their complexity. They range from straightforward ones,340W in which a decision may be issued within a matter of weeks, to exceptionally complex cases where, for example, the medical diagnosis or prognosis is uncertain, and where therefore, it may take a number of years for the injury to be fully and fairly assessed. Interim payments are usually made in such cases to assist the victim in the shorter term.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) advise that — if cases at the extremes are discounted—the average time to issue a first decision under the 1990 scheme (administered by the CICB) was about nine months. Under the tariff scheme (administered by the CICA), the average time is about seven months.