Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme's policy on unspent convictions on victims of crime.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) is a government funded scheme which is designed to compensate blameless victims of violent crime in Great Britain.

The rules of the Scheme and the tariff for awards paid under it are approved by Parliament. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) administers the Scheme and decides all claims independently of ministers and Parliament.

Stringent eligibility criteria exist to ensure that the Scheme remains sustainable in order to help the victims most in need, as well as to protect the tax payer.