asked the Minister for Justice the total financial allocation for 1988 for payments of awards by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal; his views on whether this sum is adequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
78.
Written Answers. - Criminal Injuries Compensation.
40.
asked the Minister for Justice if his attention has been drawn to recent comments by the President of the Circuit Court pressing for the restoration of compensation for criminal injuries under the scheme of criminal injuries compensation in order that compensation in respect of pain and suffering, or disfigurement or incapacity can once again be considered as appropriate within the context of the scheme; the action he proposes to take in this respect; and if he has considered reviewing the scheme which now operates in view of this deficiency.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 78 together. The amount to be provided in the Estimates for any year for any particular service is decided in the context of the requirements for all other services and the overall budgetary position. Having regard to these considerations it was decided that the appropriate provision for awards under the scheme of compensation for personal injuries criminally inflicted for 1988 should be £1,975,000.
I am aware of the comments made by the President of the Circuit Court on 10 December 1987 in relation to the scheme. The changes in the scheme, introduced with effect from 1 April 1986, to exclude compensation for pain and suffering, were decided upon by the then Government in the light of the escalating cost of the scheme as it operated up to then and in the light of available resources. In the present financial circumstances I see no real prospect of returning to a more favourable basis for compensation under this scheme.