Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consultation his Department undertook before excluding damage sustained in utero as a result of illegal drug taking from the definition of a crime of violence under Annex B paragraph 4(e) of the Criminal Compensation Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green

I sympathise deeply with anyone who suffers from an injury or debilitating condition sustained in utero. As part of the ‘Getting it right for victims and witnesses’ consultation, which was published in January 2012, we looked in detail at the definition of a “crime of violence” for the purposes of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS). After the consultation, a decision was taken to exclude injuries sustained by an unborn child if the mother willingly consumes harmful substances during pregnancy. We implemented a new Scheme in November 2012.

Below is a link to the ‘Getting it right for victims and witnesses’ Consultation Paper and the Government’s Response.

https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/victims-witnesses

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