Terror attack survivors condemn the UK's compensation scheme in report

Terror attack survivors from 11 incidents including the Manchester Arena bombing and the Fishmonger’s Hall stabbings condemn the UK’s compensation scheme in new report

• Survivors Against Terror has called for change after 68% say help is not fair

Terror attack survivors from incidents including the Manchester Arena bombing and the Fishmonger’s Hall stabbings have condemned the UK’s compensation scheme in a new report.

Support network Survivors Against Terror (SAT) has called for change after it found that more than half of those who responded to a survey think the process is unfair and unreasonable.

More than 130 survivors from 11 different terror attacks took part in a poll about the Government’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

The CICA handles compensation claims from people who have suffered physical or mental injuries as a result of violent crime in England, Scotland and Wales, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.

The report found 68 per cent thought the process was unfair and unreasonable and 62 per cent did not feel treated with respect and empathy – compared with only 17 per cent who felt they were.

Pictured: The scene outside the Manchester Arena in 2017

Terror attack survivors from incidents including the Manchester Arena bombing have condemned the UK’s compensation scheme in a new report

More than half of survivors said they were unable to speak to someone from CICA for help and some 60 per cent did not feel it was easy to submit their compensation claim, and that the information provided by CICA was unclear or not easy to understand.

Brendan Cox, co-founder of SAT and co-author of the report, said: ‘CICA is broken. There can be no other conclusion from the data and the testimonies we have gathered.

‘An organisation that is supposed to be helping survivors recover and rebuild is instead consistently doing them harm. If the organisation had poor processes and procedures but scored well on other areas, there would be hope for reform. There is not.

‘While our starting point was not to recommend removing responsibility for survivors of terror attacks from CICA, it has become the inescapable conclusion.

‘Survivors deserve better. They have been attacked, not because of who they are, but as proxies for the British state.

‘Therefore, the British state has a responsibility to ensure that they are supported. Today it is failing in that duty.’

Following the attack at Fishmonger’s Hall in 2019, when Usman Khan killed two people, the Government announced it was committed to a new Survivors’ Charter which would guarantee the rights of survivors to mental health and legal support.

Sandra Loining, co-author of the report, said: ‘The public will be rightly appalled by how survivors are being treated. While the Government has been big on promises of change, nothing has been delivered and it’s victims who are paying the price.’

Comments in the survey claimed some are still waiting for compensation years later.

One Manchester Arena attack survivor said: ‘After five years I am still waiting for CICA to settle my claim, they lost all my notes.’

The SAT has recommended the creation of a new compensation authority overseen by the Home Office, with other recommendations calling for transparency in how awards are calculated and an ability to track applications through an online portal.

A Government spokesman said: ‘While no amount of compensation can make up for the ordeal suffered by victims of terror, it is right survivors get the support they need, including through the publicly-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme that has paid out more than £158million to victims of violent crime in the last year alone.

‘This includes £4.6million for victims of terrorism since 2017, with a dedicated team helping victims of the Manchester Arena attack receive the compensation to which they are entitled.

‘But we know more must be done, which is why the Government is reviewing the support available, to better address victims’ needs.’

The Government also confirmed that 836 of the 859 applications in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing have been finalised, with 436 of the bereaved or injured receiving criminal injuries compensation. Of those applications, 13 have been made within the last six months.

Source: Read Full Article