Terror attack survivors condemn compensation bodyon July 17, 2023 at 2:09 am

Survivors of terror attacks in the UK have described the government’s compensation scheme as “broken” in a new report.

More than 130 survivors from 11 attacks were surveyed by support network Survivors Against Terror.

Respondents included survivors from the Fishmonger’s Hall stabbings in London in 2019, and the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

A government spokesperson said “we know more must be done” to address needs.

More than two-thirds of survey respondents said they felt the scheme was “unfair and unreasonable”.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) has been in place since the 1990s, and handles claims from people who have suffered physical or mental injuries as a result of violent crime in England, Scotland and Wales. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice.

More than half of survivors surveyed said they felt unable to speak to someone from CICA for help and some 60% 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.

Of the survivors asked, 62% did not feel treated with respect and empathy, compared with 17% who felt they were.

Brendan Cox, whose wife, Labour MP Jo Cox, was killed by a far-right extremist in 2016, is a co-founder of Survivors Against Terror, and a co-author of the report.

He said the CICA was “broken” and “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,” he said.

“If the organisation had poor processes and procedures but scored well on other areas, there would be hope for reform. There is not.”

In 2019, the government committed to a new Survivors’ Charter which would guarantee rights for survivors to mental health and legal support, something Survivors Against Terror said has not happened.

Some survivors said they were 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 report calls for a new compensation authority to be overseen by the Home Office with greater transparency in how awards are calculated and an ability to track them online.

A government spokesperson said it was “right survivors get the support they need, including through the publicly-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme that has paid out more than £158 million to victims of violent crime in the last year alone”.

They added: “But we know more must be done, which is why the government is reviewing the support available, to better address victims’ needs.”

It said this included £4.6 million for victims of terrorism since 2017.

The government said 836 of the 859 applications in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing had been finalised, with 436 of the bereaved or injured receiving criminal injuries compensation.