Asked by: Lord Lebedev (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision to stop investigating non-crime hate incidents on the rate of hate incidents in London, and what data they hold to support that assessment.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
All police forces in England and Wales continue to record non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) and retain them as intelligence, making local decisions, as appropriate on whether further investigation is appropriate. The Home Office does not collate data on NCHIs.
The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council are currently undertaking a review of NCHIs, working closely with the Home Office. We look forward to receiving the final recommendations of the review shortly and will consider them carefully.
Asked by: Lord Lebedev (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the findings in the report National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published on 16 June, what plans they have to provide compensation to victims.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is making reforms to better support victims of child sexual abuse and prioritise their rights, including making it easier for victims to pursue compensation claims in the civil court.
The Government has included a measure in the Crime and Policing Bill to remove the three-year time limit for victims to bring civil personal injury child sexual abuse claims, so that claims do not need to be brought within three years of turning 18. This change is significant because we know that it can take decades for survivors to disclose sexual abuse.
Victims, including children, who suffer a serious physical or mental injury as a direct result of a violent crime such as physical and sexual abuse, may also be able to access compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. Payments under the Scheme are an expression of public sympathy and are intended to be an acknowledgment of the harm that eligible applicants have experienced.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) has worked to improve its service for compensation applicants, including providing its staff with specific training on the impact of psychological and emotional trauma in sexual abuse cases, and guidance on applying the exceptional circumstances discretion to sexual abuse cases - particularly child sexual abuse.