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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Paul Britton & Flora Thompson

Plans unveiled to speed up payment of compensation to terror attack victims after lobbying from Manchester Arena survivors

Plans to speed up the payment of compensation to victims of terrorism atrocities have been announced.

A group of survivors from the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing - and previous attacks in London - last year demanded political parties agree a new 'charter' to provide quicker access to mental health support and faster compensation.

A public consultation to overhaul and reform the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme has now started.

It will run until October.

The government said it wants to set up a dedicated scheme for people affected by terror incidents in the UK or abroad to ensure applications are processed as quickly as possible and families get the support they need.

The proposed changes come after criticism of the existing compensation claims process, which is also under review.

The Victims' Commissioner has branded the help, including financial support, families are given when a loved one is killed abroad as 'patchy and inadequate'.

The memorial in London to victims of the 7/7 attacks in 2005 (PA)

The public consultation, which opened on Thursday, involves the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, which gives money to victims injured by violent crime when no other financial redress is available.

It's planned to make the process 'simpler and more transparent'.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) deals with more than 30,000 applications a year.

In 2018/19 it paid out more than £130m to victims.

The London Bridge terror attack last December (PA)

This included £11m to victims who were previously barred from claiming compensation under the now abolished pre-1979 'same roof' rule, blocking payments to victims whose attacker was a family member they were living with at the time.

The plans also propose:

  • A simpler list of eligible injuries
  • Higher single payments of up to £8,000
  • Payments for funerals raised to £4,500

  • Gathering views on whether families of people murdered abroad should have access to compensation.

Justice minister Alex Chalk said: "All too recently we've witnessed the devastating effects of terrorism, which is why this government is determined that victims get the support they need to rebuild their lives.

"While no amount of compensation can ever make up for the suffering they've endured, our reforms will ensure the system for claiming awards better reflects the needs of victims, and that applications are processed as rapidly as possible.

"But this is only one part of our plans to boost the support available for people injured by violent crime.

"We are simplifying the scheme making it easier to understand, as well as increasing pay-outs for bereaved families."

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