ACS

Victims of violent crimes are put off claiming compensation by complex forms and too much bureaucracy, the Committee of Public Accounts suggest in a report today.

The report, Compensating Victims of Violent Crime, criticises the Ministry of Justice for failing to set the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) rigorous targets.

Less than 5% of people eligible for sums of up to £500,000 are applying, the committee said, adding that two-thirds of victims are unaware of the scheme which covers England, Wales and Scotland, The committee said that last year there was a backlog of more than 80,000 cases, but the government claimed the system had improved since 2006.

Committee chairman Edward Leigh said compensation was a "low priority" for ministers.
The committee found many victims of violent crime spent money on expensive lawyers because they did not know free legal help was on offer.

The committee said that, despite applications falling by 23%, the average time taken to resolve a complaint had increased from one year to 17 months.

The costs of administering the scheme had risen by £6m between 2000 and 2006, while staff productivity had fallen.

Sir Edward, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, said "The Ministry of Justice's declared objective is to place victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. If the scheme for compensating victims of violent crime is anything to go by, that objective is a long way from fulfilment.

"Eight years ago, our Committee gave a withering verdict on how the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was performing. Since then that performance has deteriorated even further.

"A large proportion of citizens who are injured by violent criminals are left in ignorance of the compensation scheme, leading to the absurd situation that only five per cent apply for compensation. The tiny proportion which applies is then stymied by complex application forms. A good many applicants waste money on being represented by solicitors because no one in authority saw fit to draw their attention to the free service provided by Victim Support. Cases are processed inefficiently and are therefore taking longer to resolve. And the cost of processing each case has leapt by 50 per cent.

"It is good news that the Ministry and Authority have finally put in place a performance management framework and better accountability system. We expect the Ministry to report to this Committee before the end of this Parliament on its progress in reforming a scheme to which it has hitherto given a low priority."