2. ACICA Press Briefing
Government to leave victims of crime out in the cold?
ACICA, who specialise in helping victims of crime obtain compensation, believes the Government is planning to drastically cut back on payouts, which could leave hundreds of thousands of victims out in the cold!
Richard Dobson (Chartered Insurer) from Assault and Criminal Injury Compensation Associates Ltd. (ACICA) says changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) could eliminate the rights of more than 60% of applicants to make claims in the future.
Following consultation on Compensation and Support for Victims of Crime (1) changes requiring primary legislation were announced as part of the introduction of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill to the Commons this month. It is now at committee stage.
However, David Blunkett and the Home Office have so far obscured the Government's intentions re the lower bands of financial compensation within the CICS scheme, which affects over 30,000 applicants a year.
The Consultation Paper said the intention is to make the scheme more 'focused' and release resources to provide additional and alternative support to victims of crime. It says: "In this model the tariff scheme continues. The victims of the most serious sexual and violent crimes are compensated in a timely manner."
However, the document also points out that at present the scheme is paying out relatively small amounts of compensation (over 60% of awards are in the range of £1,000 - £2,000) with disproportionately high administrative costs.
In fact in 2001/02 the average award in this range amounted to just under £1,400 at an average cost of £320 to administer. ACICA say that if this tactic is to be adopted elsewhere the next disadvantaged group to qualify for a 'kicking' could be the 60,000 pensioners who receive £4 or less of a pension credit a week!
During his introduction of the Bill, Mr. Blunkett, in a throw away line, mentioned "We could save money by operating the fund more effectively. It would make sense to combine lower level awards."
ACICA estimate that eliminating the lower bands could save £35 million, but would result in around 25,000 victims of crime losing their rights each year.
ACICA reckons the Government breached its own code of conduct during the consultation period - no question on eliminating / changing compensation for hundreds of thousands of people was asked.
ACICA has spoken to Richard Thew, of the Compensation and Victim Issues at the Home Office who has confirmed that a change in bands is an issue not requiring primary legislation and is a political decision.
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has confirmed to ACICA that it is "totally opposed to the elimination of any of the tariff bands", but Victims Support has yet to comment.
"If there was a major terrorist incident in Britain, due to a failure of the Government's security responsibilities, thousands of innocent injured victims may in future have no rights to compensation if such cost cutting measures are introduced," says Chris Smith (Chartered Accountant) of ACICA.
He says that in future the Government hopes to recover victims' compensation from offenders, but this will often not be practical.
"If, through no fault of your own, you are injured in a car accident, then quite rightly, compensation can be sought from the guilty party," says Chris.
"In future, if you are mugged or terrorised and suffer mental disorder, leading to the loss of your job and a lifetime of misery, and the police fail to find the mugger, then quite wrongly, you might get no compensation whatsoever. The same would apply to serious cases of child abuse and molestation."
Ironically, says ACICA, it was a Labour Government which first introduced the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme - now it seems it may intend to decimate it.
"Victims must be further helped, not actively penalised," says Richard Dobson. "Fear of crime can only be increased by such measures if they involve the withdrawal of practical financial help."
"The Government claims it is helping victims, when financially it seems intent on harming them and adding to their misery. It must not be allowed to duck its responsibilities and benefit from its inability to enforce the law and maintain security. This would only further undermine the public's belief in the criminal justice system!"
For further information:
Richard Dobson, ACICA, 0117 946 7272 or 0771 747 4919
Or
Chris Smith, ACICA, 0797 603 9369
Or
Jon Day, The PR People 01275 851876
Notes to editors:
(1) (1) Home Office - Compensation and Support for Victims of Crime. A Consultation Paper on Proposals to amend the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and provide a wider range of support for the victims of crime. www.homeoffice.gov.uk
(2) ACICA offers information, guidance and advocacy to the victims of criminal assault seeking compensation from the CICA and other relevant sources. Since its foundation in 2001 it has helped thousands of victims. It offers an: Information Helpline: 0800 61 91 483 and an Information Website: www.acica.org
(3) ACICA's response to the Government's consultation paper can be viewed on their website. |
