Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a cap is placed on compensation for lost earnings paid as part of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Awards available to applicants under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the Scheme), can comprise injury, loss of earnings, special expenses, bereavement, funeral, child and dependency payments.

Where an applicant is eligible for an injury payment under the Scheme, they may also be eligible for a loss of earnings payment, where the applicant has no or very limited capacity for paid work as a direct result of that injury. Loss of earnings payments are calculated at statutory sick pay rate, beginning on the first day of the 29th week in which the applicant satisfies the conditions, and ending on whichever is earliest of the day on which the applicant no longer satisfies the condition, the day on which the applicant will reach state pension age, or where the criminal injury has resulted in a life expectancy below the state pension age, the expected end of the applicant’s life.

The maximum award which may be made under this Scheme, inclusive of any payment in respect of loss of earnings, is £500,000.