Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of refunding victims of historic miscarriages of justice for the saved living costs of the time they spent in prison.

Individuals who have had their convictions quashed following an out of time appeal are eligible to apply for compensation through the statutory Miscarriages of Justice Application Service.

On 6 August 2023, it was announced that compensation payments would no longer have saved living expenses deducted. Consistent with established public policy principles on certainty and the finality of concluded settlements, the change to remove deductions for saved living expenses applies prospectively only.

Given the Government’s position that changes to compensation arrangements apply prospectively, no estimate has been made of the cost of revisiting concluded settlements.