Criminal Injuries Compensation: Offenders
(asked on 19th May 2025) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what proportion of cases in which an applicant to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme had a criminal conviction did the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority apply discretion in (a) 2020, (b) 2021, (c) 2022, (d) 2023, (e) 2024 and (f) 2025.
The table below shows the number and proportion of resolved applications in each calendar year where the applicant had an unspent conviction and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) applied discretion to make an award.
Calendar year of decision | Resolved applications where the applicant had an unspent conviction and the CICA applied discretion to make an award |
2020 | 315 (1.1% of total resolved applications) |
2021 | 269 (0.9% of total resolved applications) |
2022 | 277 (0.8% of total resolved applications) |
2023 | 265 (0.7% of total resolved applications) |
2024 | 254 (0.7% of total resolved applications) |
2025 (to date) | 97 (0.7% of total resolved applications) |
The above information relates to applications made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) only.
We cannot provide the total number of applications where the applicant had an unspent conviction. This information is only recorded where the unspent conviction results in a refusal decision or a reduced award.
Annex D to the Scheme provides that an award will not be made to an applicant with an unspent conviction of a prescribed type. Where the applicant has an unspent conviction of a different type, Annex D provides that an award will be withheld or reduced unless there are exceptional reasons not to withhold or reduce it.