asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware of the case of a person (name supplied) in Dublin who was injured as the result of an attack before the introduction of the compensation scheme under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal; and the action he proposes to take to bring that person within the scope of the scheme.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Criminal Injuries Compensation.
39.
Mr. R. Burke
The injuries were received in September, 1972. The scheme of compensation for personal injuries criminally inflicted, however, applies only to injuries sustained on or after 1st October, 1972, and the tribunal are not empowered to waive this provision in any particular case. Incidentally, this was also the limiting date announced by my predecessor in respect of the scheme he was preparing. The Deputy will appreciate that there has to be some limit on the extent to which a scheme of this nature is made retrospective and that, no matter what date is chosen, it is inevitable that cases will be excluded that occurred just before the time-limit. I regret, therefore, that I cannot hold out any hope that the scheme will be amended so as to extend to the case in question.