Compensation body gone 'from bad to worse'

LONDON - Victims of violent crime are being compensated too slowly, a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said on Friday.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) took an average 515 days to resolve cases in 2006/7, up 40 percent on the 364 day average in 1998/9.

At the same time, the cost of resolving cases has soared.

The authority resolved 59,100 cases in the last year, down from 74,900 eight years earlier, in line with a fall in the incidence of violent crime.

But, during the period, annual administration costs rose 4.2 million pounds, after allowing for inflation, leading to a 54 percent rise in the average cost per case to 400 pounds.

The body's processes are bureaucratic and repetitive, the NAO said, leading to a backlog of 81,600 unresolved cases.

Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, said the CICA was "slowly grinding to a halt".

He said the authority had "gone from bad to worse" since 2000, when it was found to be performing poorly, despite "a raft of guidance".

"Applications are falling and the cost of processing a case is rising -- in short, the taxpayer is paying even more money for a worse service," said Leigh.

"The authority is supposed to offer relief and help people who have been through traumatic experiences, but too often it adds to victims' woes."

The CICA said major changes had been instigated last year to improve its performance.

Carole Oatway, who became chief executive in September as part of the reform programme, recognised that the body was taking too long to pay compensation.

"We are confident that by working closely with our partners in the criminal justice system, we will ensure that the people who come to us receive a faster, fairer service.

"We know that for many innocent victims of violent crime, a compensation payment from CICA is one of the key things they receive to show that society recognises what they have suffered."

CICA received 61,000 applications for compensation in 2006/7 and paid out 192 million pounds to victims.

There are 25 levels of compensation award given to crime victims, ranging from 1,000 pounds to 250,000 pounds, depending on the severity of the injury.

In the most serious cases, additional compensation is available to help cover lost earnings, as well as medical and care expenses.