Andy Burnham has said terror victims have 'not had the support they deserved' as the Prime Minister promised a review of the compensation scheme and a consultation on a permanent national memorial to victims.
Speaking at the inaugural National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism in London, the Prime Minister said he would consider overhauling the government's compensation scheme for victims of serious crime. He also confirmed he would consult on a permanent national memorial for victims.
The Prime Minister said he had asked justice minister Alex Davies-Jones to lead the work looking at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a scheme which covers both victims of terrorism and serious crime.
Prime Minister's Commitments
He told the event: "There are lots of specific proposals for how we should do it, from access to legal assistance and representation to reforming the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority – you will all have had perhaps your own experiences of these things – to looking at what we can learn from other countries like France and Spain. We will, we'll look at them all."
"And on the question of consulting you all, over a permanent national memorial to the victims and survivors of terrorism. Of course, we will do this too and I make that commitment to you today."
"Your voices must be at the heart of every decision about how we remember and recognise those affected by terrorism."
Burnham's Emotional Tribute
Mr Burnham said he had got to know victims of the Manchester Arena bombing and Heaton Park synagogue attack during his time as Greater Manchester Mayor, and that he also knew Colin and Wendy Parry, who lost their son Tim alongside Jonathan Ball in the 1993 IRA bombing in Warrington.
"I know from the many hours I've spent with survivors in Manchester that too often people have not had the support that they deserve and they've had to fight for it in the aftermath," he said.
"I want to salute today some of the young survivors of the Manchester arena. Alicia Taylor, Ellie Taylor, Abby Quinn who bravely recounted their stories to the Bee the Difference research project led by my friend Dr Cath Hill and that was research into the way young survivors of the arena felt dismissed or misunderstood in education and healthcare settings and that shouldn't be the case."
"I remember painfully how the inquiry that I set up in the aftermath of the attack, some of the authorities gave inaccurate accounts and you can only begin to imagine the pain, the re-traumatisation that that caused in the people still struggling to this day as a result of that attack."
Compensation Delays and Criticism
His comments come after the latest figures showed that more than half of people face a wait of over a year for their compensation cases to be resolved. The Victim Support charity has said CICA needed to 'urgently improve.'
Its annual report showed more than half of people have been waiting for more than a year for a final decision, despite the body recording its highest-ever year for applications. The body, which is run by the Ministry of Justice, also missed its own targets for resolving cases within six months and a year. Its speed of decision-making also fell compared with last year.
Before Mr Burnham's speech a Government spokesperson admitted 'more must be done' in light of the latest data.
In its report, published last month, the CICA's chief executive Lynne Henderson also admitted the authority had made the wrong decision to cut the number of hours phone lines were open for, so staff could 'prioritise assessing and processing applications.'
The number of complaints has nearly doubled in the last 12 months, with more than half of appeals to decisions at least partly successful. Ms Henderson said more staff had been recruited, and new recruits were going through more "intensive" classroom training.
Katie Kempen, Victim Support's chief executive, said: "Compensation is highly valued by victims and can play a vital role in their recovery after crime.
"As well as helping people who may be experiencing financial hardship, it also provides victims with a recognition of the harm they have suffered.
"However, these figures are concerning and suggest that serious problems persist with the current compensation scheme. Put simply, the system asks too much of victims, takes far too long and is overly complex.
"This simply must change. Victims deserve a compensation scheme that is fair, timely, and recognises the trauma that they have experienced.
"CICA must urgently improve its service to victims to ensure that decisions are made at pace, and that victims are given the information and support they need throughout the process."
Former president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers Neil Sugarman said: "Publication of the CICA's latest annual report confirms the worst fears over inherent delays in the process.
"This has been a problem for many years. Whilst the Government has made it clear that there is no appetite to change the scheme on the grounds of cost, even relatively modest increases in resources for the CICA would be beneficial.
"Having worked with Andy Burnham on the subject as mayor of Greater Manchester when he took a personal interest in the plight of victims of violent crime, he can now make a real difference by boosting the CICA's funding."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Last year, CICA paid out over £180 million in compensation to tens of thousands of victims – the highest financial payout managed by the agency since 2020.
"But we know more must be done and we remain committed to modernising the service to improve support for victims."
