A ‘plain English’ abstract of the Regulation Reform Fee’s session paper on overhauling the State’s scheme for compensating crime victims is geared toward encouraging a large response from victims and others.
The total ‘Compensating Victims of Crime’ paper, revealed final month, says there’s a sturdy case a “full redesign” of the prevailing scheme about which it raises a number of considerations, together with the non-payment of compensation for ache and struggling in non-fatal circumstances and delays in finishing claims.
It favours placing the scheme on a statutory footing, queries whether or not it ought to proceed to be administered by the Division of Justice and suggests a nationwide victims’ workplace could also be required to supply compensation and/or specialised help companies in a “co-ordinated and cohesive manner”.
The fee this week revealed a plain English abstract “to boost public accessibility” to the content material of the session paper and “to encourage responses from as huge an viewers as attainable, specifically from those that have suffered the implications of violent crime”.
Its director of analysis, Rebecca Coen, stated the intention is “to make the Fee’s work extra accessible and to construct connections to the group, civil society, and different key stakeholders”.
She stated the fee fastidiously considers the affect of its proposed reforms on those that are almost definitely to be immediately affected.
“Within the case of victims of crime, which means contemplating the bodily and psychological results of crime which will make it tough for some victims to learn and have interaction with the total Session Paper. We wish to seek the advice of with those that use and are affected by the legislation”.
The plain English abstract offers with all points lined in the primary paper, together with the character of compensation awards, who’s eligible for compensation, who ought to make selections on compensation awards and what a reformed statutory scheme ought to appear to be.
The abstract doc has achieved the Nationwide Grownup Literary Company (NALA) Plain English Mark, which means it meets worldwide plain English requirements. It’s out there on the Fee’s web site, lawreform.ie.
A abstract of the paper can also be out there in Irish. Responses to the paper have to be submitted by April nineteenth subsequent. They are often emailed to VictimCompensation_at_lawreform.ie, or posted to Regulation Reform Fee, Styne Home, Higher Hatch Avenue, Dublin 2, D02 DY27.