Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.

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.

In our Victims Strategy published in September 2018, we announced a review of the Scheme. The review examined whether the Scheme remains fit for purpose, reflects the changing nature of violent crime and effectively support victims in their recovery. In 2020, we held a public consultation on proposals to make claiming compensation simpler and more accessible for victims of violent crime. This was followed by a supplementary consultation in summer 2022 on whether the unspent convictions eligibility rule should be revised. Our conclusions will be shared in due course.