HC Deb 12 June 2002 vol 386 c1249W
6. Mr. McCabe

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the new criminal injuries compensation scheme for Northern Ireland. [57736]

20. Mr. Patrick Hall

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to improve the criminal injuries compensation scheme for Northern Ireland. [57751]

22. David Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the new criminal injuries compensation scheme for Northern Ireland. [57753]

Mr. Browne

The scheme, introduced on 1 May, put in place many of the recommendations of the independent review of compensation carried out by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. It is similar to arrangements in the rest of the UK, and is designed to provide innocent and deserving victims of crime with a quicker and easier way to obtain compensation for their injuries. The tariff amounts of compensation for pain and suffering have been set at existing average levels within Northern Ireland. Additional payments can be made for pecuniary loss and other expenses. Many improvements to the eligibility criteria will ensure that compensation is widely available to those who have suffered at the hands of violent criminals.