HL Deb 10 April 2002 vol 633 cc104-7WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that a senior official should be designated to take immediate responsibility for a better co-ordinated approach to the problems of victims within government has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been. [HL3495]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

On publication of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield's ReportWe Will Remember Them in April 1998, Adam Ingram MP was appointed as Victims Minister and the Victims Liaison Unit was established to take forward the recommendations contained within the report.

Des Browne, who took over as Victims Minister in July 2001, has built on the close links established by Adam Ingram with the Ministers in the devolved administration. A co-ordinated approach will ensure the most effective support to victims of the Troubles.

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that the recommendations of the SSI-led study on Living with the Trauma of the Troubles should be energetically implemented by those interests to which they are dedicated has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been. [HL3496]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The Northern Ireland Executive has taken the lead on the implementation of this recommendation.

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that victims should be given the best comprehensive advice, locally differentiated, on where to turn for support has been implemented; and if so, what progress there has been. [HL3497]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety took the lead in carrying this recommendation forward. Each regional health and social services board established a trauma advisory panel, representative of the range of professionals and voluntary organisations working with people affected by the Troubles. Officials from the Victims Liaison Unit attended the initial meetings of each panel, but responsibility for the continued implementation of the recommendation rests with the devolved government.

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that victims must, as the barest minimum, be as well served as former prisoners in terms of their rehabilitation and future employment has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been. [HL3498]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The Northern Ireland Office was responsible for the management of funding to ex-prisoners and victims groups under Measures 4.4 and 4.6 of the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Peace I).

Victims and ex-prisoners have received the following amounts under both measures:

  • Ex-prisoners = £4.3 million
  • Victims = £2.8 million

When the programme was first introduced in 1995, the European Commission's (EC) aim was to use the funding to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation. Measure 4 of that programme was designed to promote social inclusion of those who were at the margins of social and economic life. Specifically, Measures 4.4 and 4.6 were aimed at both ex-prisoners and victims groups as the EC considered that it was particularly appropriate to support these groups in order to achieve the objectives. In the event, many more projects were put forward by ex-prisoners grups than by victims groups and therefore the majority of this funding was allocated to ex-prisoners.

In the main, this funding has been used to provide training and development officers and counselling services for ex-prisoners and their families. Victims groups were also successful in securing funding from these measures for similiar projects. However, victims of the Troubles have access to other support in addition to the £2.8 million awarded under Peace I.

Since 1998, government has committed over £18.25 million to support victims of the Troubles, funding a number of initiatives including:

£700k for a Family Trauma Centre which provides therapeutic service addressing the psychological needs of families and young people.

£300k for an Educational Bursary Pilot Scheme—for individuals whose education was directly affected by the Troubles: 350 people received awards.

£3 million to the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund, with a commitment of a further £2 million at a rate of £1 million per year for the next two years. The fund has put in place a number of schemes including: the Small Grants Scheme, the Chronic Pain Management Scheme, the Respite Break Scheme, the Wheelchair Assessment Scheme, the Amputee Assessment Scheme, and the Education and Training Scheme.

£225k for a Victims Support Grants Scheme (now closed) to assist community groups and voluntary organisations to take forward recommendations in the Bloomfield report; and more recently a further £750,000 to extend this small grants scheme.

£6.1 million core funding for groups who support victims of the Troubles.

£500k for initiatives in Great Britain, including £250k for the Legacy Project. This project aims to identify and meet the needs of victims of the Troubles living in Great Britain.

£1.5 million over the next three years for the development of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation.

£1.5 million over the next two years to the devolved administation's Strategy Implementation Fund to help Northern Ireland departments fulfil their commitments to addressing victims' needs.

In addition, Peace II, which is administered by the devolved administration, contains a specific measure for victims with funding of approximately £6.67 million, targeted mainly at re-training and re-employment. This specific targeting at victim and victims' groups means that they will not be competing with others for this money.

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that the code of practice for victims of crime should be conscientiously observed and critically monitored has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been. [HL3577]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

Criminal Justice agencies such as the Police, Northern Ireland Court Service and the Compensation Agency have given a commitment in charter statements to providing services to victims. The performance of these commitments, which have been incorporated in the code of practice, has been monitored against the standards set out in the code. A revised version of the code has recently been made available, including information on the new arrangements for getting compensation.

Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that the Government should not overlook the special claims of communities uprooted from their homes and farms has been implemented; and, if so, what progress there has been. [HL3579]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

Government, in consultation with the Devolved Administration, have examined how this recommendation might be taken forward and a number of avenues have been explored.

After careful consideration, government have concluded that the schemes which are currently available for victims and victims groups probably offer the best way forward for the members of such communities and others who have been similarly affected.