Deputy First Minister announces financial redress scheme for Scotland
Deputy First Minister John Swinney today (Tuesday, 23 October 2018) announced that the Scottish Government accepts the main recommendations from the InterAction Action Plan Review Group on the issue of financial redress/compensation for victims/survivors of abuse in care in Scotland.
Working in partnership with the InterAction Action Plan Review Group, we held a consultation regarding a potential financial compensation/redress scheme. The Review Group presented reports and a set of recommendations to the Scottish Government on 5 September 2018, based on this consultation and engagement.
In his statement to Parliament, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:
"The main recommendation is to establish a financial redress scheme and to pass legislation before the end of this Parliamentary term. The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation and commits to do so, subject to Parliamentary approval.
"The Review Group also recommends that advance payments are made as soon as possible to survivors who may not live long enough to apply to a statutory scheme due to either ill-health or age. Further information from the Review Group indicates that for ill-health, a definition of 'approaching end of life' should be used, based on advice from medical professionals. And that for age, the threshold should be set at age 70 and over, and subject to review. We accept those recommendations for an advance payments scheme."