§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the consequences of the case of R (H) v Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. [84650]
§ Hilary BennThe Home Office was not a party to this action, which was brought against the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). Under the terms of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme approved by Parliament, the CICA and the complementary, independent Appeals Panel are exclusively responsible for the administration of the scheme, the interpretation of the scheme rules and the determination of individual applications. Ministers do not comment on, or intervene in, the administering bodies' handling of individual cases.
However, I understand from the CICA that they have not yet received a copy of the judgment in writing. They will decide what action might be appropriate when they have had a chance to consider the written judgment in detail, and whether there are wider issues for the overall running of the scheme in which the Home Department needs to be involved.