Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average processing time was for claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The following table shows the number and proportion of claims where a decision was reached within: (i) 0-12 months; (ii) 12 – 18 months; (iii) 18 – 24 months; and (iv) more than 24 months after the date of application. This information is taken from the latest period for which data is available (year 1 April 2022- 31 March 2023) which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/criminal-injuries-compensation-authority/about/statistics.
Claims processed | Number | Proportion |
Total | 34,723 | - |
0 - 12 Months | 23,456 | 67% |
12 – 18 Months | 3,745 | 11% |
18 – 24 Months | 2,345 | 7% |
More than 24 Months | 5,177 | 15% |
Based on the latest period for which data is available, the average number of days to reach a decision on claims was 391. This information is also for year 1 April 2022-31 March 2023 and can be found at the web address above.
CICA recognises that timely compensation can help victims in their recovery both practically and emotionally. CICA aims to assess claims as quickly as possible and the majority are assessed within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own merits and determined based on the evidence available to support the application.
CICA continually reviews its operating practices with the aim of improving the rate of claims of assessed. Last year, the volume of claims resolved was 12% higher than in the previous year and CICA provided £173m in compensation to victims of violent crime.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of average processing times for claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) exists to compensate for serious physical or psychological injury attributable to being a direct victim of a crime of violence. It provides an important avenue of redress for such victims and is part of the wider package of general and specialist support available to victims of crime.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice, administers the Scheme and reports on its performance in an Annual Report laid in Parliament. This report includes data on the time it takes for decisions under the scheme to be made. While the CICA publishes this data on the length of time it takes to conclude cases, each case is necessarily considered on its own merits and complex cases can take longer to be determined.
We engage regularly with the CICA, including to consider its service levels and how it responds to resource demands. We also work closely with the CICA when considering policy development, and when we consult on potential reforms to the Scheme we consider the implications of any policy changes on the CICA and others in an impact assessment. In addition, the Ministry of Justice reviews the CICA as part of the government’s Public Bodies Review Programme, the most recent of which concluded in February 2023 and concluded that the CICA was in good health.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of claims made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme were processed within (a) 12 to 18, (b) 18 to 24 and (c) more than 24 months in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The following table shows the number and proportion of claims where a decision was reached within: (i) 0-12 months; (ii) 12 – 18 months; (iii) 18 – 24 months; and (iv) more than 24 months after the date of application. This information is taken from the latest period for which data is available (year 1 April 2022- 31 March 2023) which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/criminal-injuries-compensation-authority/about/statistics.
Claims processed | Number | Proportion |
Total | 34,723 | - |
0 - 12 Months | 23,456 | 67% |
12 – 18 Months | 3,745 | 11% |
18 – 24 Months | 2,345 | 7% |
More than 24 Months | 5,177 | 15% |
Based on the latest period for which data is available, the average number of days to reach a decision on claims was 391. This information is also for year 1 April 2022-31 March 2023 and can be found at the web address above.
CICA recognises that timely compensation can help victims in their recovery both practically and emotionally. CICA aims to assess claims as quickly as possible and the majority are assessed within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own merits and determined based on the evidence available to support the application.
CICA continually reviews its operating practices with the aim of improving the rate of claims of assessed. Last year, the volume of claims resolved was 12% higher than in the previous year and CICA provided £173m in compensation to victims of violent crime.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to extend the time limit for Criminal injuries Compensation Claims for victims of sexual abuse.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Government-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme) exists to compensate for serious physical or psychological injury attributable to being a direct victim of a crime of violence. As the Scheme is publicly funded, strict eligibility criteria apply.
There are already special arrangements in place for people applying for compensation for an injury sustained in childhood, and in all cases where a claim is made outside of the applicable time limit they can be considered in exceptional circumstances.
We recently held a public consultation on potential reforms to change the length of time people have to submit a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. We asked for views on increasing the time limits for child victims of sexual abuse, as well as other violent crimes, and on increasing them for all applicants. We will make decisions about whether to amend the time limits as soon as possible in 2024 as part of our comprehensive review of the Scheme.
Asked by: Andrew Western (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Review 2020.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
I am grateful to all who took the time to contribute views to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Review 2020 and the other consultations we ran in 2022 and 2023 as part of our Scheme review.
We are carefully considering the responses received and plan to publish a single response to all three consultations as soon as possible in 2024.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most common reason is for claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority by a serving police officer injured during the course of their duties not succeeding.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The GB-wide Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) provides state-funded compensation to victims of violent crime who cannot pursue compensation or redress from other routes. Payments are available for physical or psychological injuries resulting directly from a crime of violence, as defined in Annex B of the Scheme.
Under the Scheme, any emergency worker who is assaulted while working, including serving police officers, will be considered as a direct victim of an intentional crime of violence in the same manner as any other victim group, with the same eligibility criteria being applied. An applicant who was not the direct victim of an intentional crime of violence may also be eligible for an award if they are injured whilst taking an exceptional and justified risk in the course of limiting or preventing a crime under paragraph 5 of the Scheme.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which operates the Scheme, does not hold data on how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims have been made by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties or the most common reason for claims by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties not succeeding. CICA does not request or record information relating to the occupation of applicants for criminal injuries compensation.
Jul. 18 2023
Source Page: Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Review: additional consultation 2023Found: Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Review: additional consultation 2023
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority have been made by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties in each year since 2019.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The GB-wide Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (the Scheme) provides state-funded compensation to victims of violent crime who cannot pursue compensation or redress from other routes. Payments are available for physical or psychological injuries resulting directly from a crime of violence, as defined in Annex B of the Scheme.
Under the Scheme, any emergency worker who is assaulted while working, including serving police officers, will be considered as a direct victim of an intentional crime of violence in the same manner as any other victim group, with the same eligibility criteria being applied. An applicant who was not the direct victim of an intentional crime of violence may also be eligible for an award if they are injured whilst taking an exceptional and justified risk in the course of limiting or preventing a crime under paragraph 5 of the Scheme.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which operates the Scheme, does not hold data on how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful claims have been made by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties or the most common reason for claims by serving police officers injured during the course of their duties not succeeding. CICA does not request or record information relating to the occupation of applicants for criminal injuries compensation.
Mentions:
1: Edward Argar (CON - Charnwood) Today I have laid before Parliament a public consultation on two elements of the statutory Criminal - Speech Link
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority spent on equality and diversity training in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
On 02 October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a value for money audit of all Equality, Diversity and Inclusion spending in the Civil Service.
The audit will dovetail with the public sector productivity review, aiming at delivering a leaner, more efficient government. The audit forms part of our drive to improve productivity across the public sector by driving down waste and improving performance.
The findings and actions of the audit will be announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn.