Systemic failures in the administration of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme are depriving victims of violent crime of the compensation they are entitled to, according to MPs.
In a damning report (Compensating victims of violent crime) the House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee criticised the performance of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), the body which administers the scheme.
The report stated: "Between 2000 and 2006, performance in dealing with claims deteriorated due to poor management within the Authority, combined with a lack of oversight by the sponsoring department [the Ministry of Justice]."
In this time the average time to resolve a case rose from 12 to 17 months despite the number of applications falling by 23 percent.
Through the six-year period, the number of cases resolved per staff member fell from 179 to 125.
The MoJ, under whose authority the scheme is run, was particularly criticised criticism.
The Committee said: "The low priority given to [the scheme] belies its importance to the Ministry's objective of putting victims at the heart of the criminal justice system", the report continues.
It also said the Ministry failed to set sufficiently rigorous targets for both CICA and its Appeals Panel, and that it failed to hold them accountable for their performance.
Worse still, it claimed, not enough was done to raise awareness and accessibility of the scheme.
Only 64 percent of victims were aware of the scheme, according to the report, and only five percent applied for compensation, with 20 percent of applicants finding the forms difficult to complete.
If you think you have a case and could claim compensation for a criminal injury or require further assistance why not fill in the claims questionnaire.
If you think you have a case or require further assistance why not fill in the claims questionnaire.
