Law Reform Commission seeks to widen response on overhaul of victim scheme

A ‘plain English’ summary of the Law Reform Commission’s consultation paper on overhauling the State’s scheme for compensating crime victims is aimed at encouraging a wide response from victims and others.

The full ‘Compensating Victims of Crime’ paper, published last month, says there is a strong case a “full redesign” of the existing scheme about which it raises several concerns, including the non-payment of compensation for pain and suffering in non-fatal cases and delays in completing claims.

It favours putting the scheme on a statutory footing, queries whether it should continue to be administered by the Department of Justice and suggests a national victims’ office may be required to provide compensation and/or specialised support services in a “co-ordinated and cohesive way”.

The commission this week published a plain English summary “to enhance public accessibility” to the content of the consultation paper and “to encourage responses from as wide an audience as possible, in particular from those who have suffered the consequences of violent crime”.

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Its director of research, Rebecca Coen, said the aim is "to make the Commission's work more accessible and to build connections to the community, civil society, and other key stakeholders".

She said the commission carefully considers the impact of its proposed reforms on those who are most likely to be directly affected.

"In the case of victims of crime, that means considering the physical and psychological effects of crime that may make it difficult for some victims to read and engage with the full Consultation Paper. We want to consult with those who use and are affected by the law".

The plain English summary deals with all issues covered in the main paper, including the nature of compensation awards, who is eligible for compensation, who should make decisions on compensation awards and what a reformed statutory scheme should look like.

The summary document has achieved the National Adult Literary Agency (NALA) Plain English Mark, meaning it meets international plain English standards. It is available on the Commission's website, lawreform.ie.

A summary of the paper is also available in Irish. Responses to the paper must be submitted by April 19th next. They can be emailed to VictimCompensation_at_lawreform.ie, or posted to Law Reform Commission, Styne House, Upper Hatch Street, Dublin 2, D02 DY27.