Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is provided to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on the proportionality of evidence requests made to applicants; and what steps he is taking to ensure that requests for historic financial and medical records do not present a challenge to victims of violent crime.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. Its decisions are made independently from the Secretary of State for Justice.
The amount of compensation CICA can award and the rules which apply are set out in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme).
The 2012 Scheme was made by the Secretary of State and approved by Parliament
CICA claims officers assess applications under the 2012 Scheme. Each application is assessed on the balance of probabilities based on their own facts and the information available.
The 2012 Scheme requires applicants to give CICA information which is reasonably required to assess their eligibility. This includes medical and other information to assess injuries and losses.
Information about pre-existing medical conditions may be required because the claims officer must consider whether those conditions were exacerbated or accelerated by the crime. Information about employment may be required to assess eligibility for past and future loss of earnings. Under the Scheme, a loss of earnings award requires the applicant to have been in paid work on the date of the crime or for three years before the crime.
CICA’s guidance for claims officers is published on GOV.UK
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