§ Lord Tebbitasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, following the House of Lords ruling on the claim of Mr D Steed against the Home Secretary for interest on the delayed compensation for property confiscated under the Firearms (Amendment) Acts 1997, they will now pay interest on similar cases without the need for claimants to pursue the Home Secretary through the courts. [HL4625]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe House of Lords ruled in the appeal case ofDavid Steed v the Home Office that a firearms compensation claimant could bring proceedings against the Home Office in the County Court to claim for unpaid compensation. In line with the normal court procedures in such a case, a claimant would also be entitled to claim simple interest at the statutory rate if successful and if the payment of compensation was regarded as being "late". The House of Lords did not stipulate what a reasonable 119WA time for payment might be and, indeed, recognised that different periods would apply in different cases. The ruling in the Steed case does not therefore create a general entitlement to interest and there are no plans to make such payments.