Vol. 400 No. 2
97 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice if he is satisfied with the operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal, in particular with regard to the length of time between the settlement of the claim and the issue of the cheque to the applicant; the steps, if any, he proposes to take to minimise the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am satisfied that payment of awards under the criminal injuries compensation scheme are made as quickly as possible, within the resources available. The amount of funding to be provided for this scheme, as with all public services, has to be decided on the basis of requirements, the competing demands for other services and the overall budgetary situation.
The Deputy will be aware that my predecessor in 1988 obtained an additional £4 million by way of supplementary estimate to virtually clear the then existing backlog of awards and last year I was able to divert an extra £340,470 from savings on other subheads towards the payment of awards. Against this background it can be taken that the matter of possible extra funding for the tribunal is being kept under review.
