- Miscarriage of justice victims will no longer have their
compensation counted when applying for benefits.
- New legislation will unlock vital support for those victims,
helping them back on their feet.
- Comes alongside boost to amount victims will be able to
receive in compensation payments.
- Justice for the wrongly convicted vital to Government's
ambition to restore trust in the system as part of Plan for
Change.
Victims of miscarriages of justice will no longer lose out on key
benefit support, thanks to legislative changes coming into force
today (Tues 22 July).
The change ensures that awarded compensation will no longer be
taken into account when applying for means-tested benefits - such
as Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Housing
Benefit.
Until now, compensation for miscarriage of justice cases pushed
some people over the savings limit for claiming certain benefits,
leaving them ineligible for much-needed help.
To restore trust and fairness to our systems as part of the Plan
for Change, the government is acting to ensure victims
receive the support they deserve to rebuild their lives.
It comes after a campaign for rule changes to unlock benefit
entitlement for those who have received miscarriage of justice
compensation payments.
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir MP, said:
“Rebuilding trust in our systems begins by
restoring trust with those the system has failed.
“We can't return the years lost by miscarriage of justice victims
— but we can, and must, ensure they have every opportunity to
restart their lives so they can make the most of the years
ahead.
“That's why we're bringing in this milestone legislation, and I
encourage anyone who has received a miscarriage of justice
compensation payment to come forward, so we can ensure they
receive the help they are entitled to.”
The move comes as part of wider government action to restore
justice and build trust in public services.
In a boost for victims, the Ministry of Justice recently
announced an uplift to the amount a miscarriage of justice victim
will be able to receive in compensation by 30%, raising the
maximum payout to £1.3 million for long-term wrongful
imprisonment.
It also follows similar legislation already in place to ensure
compensation awarded to victims of the Infected Blood Scandal,
Horizon Post Office scandal, and LGBT people dismissed from the
Armed Forces, won't affect their benefit entitlement.
Notes to editors:
- The benefit disregard will apply to all compensation payments
paid via the United Kingdom Government and Devolved Governments
compensation schemes for miscarriage of justice.
- The disregard scheme will exempt miscarriage of justice
compensation payments when assessing eligibility for:
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and
Support Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Pension
Credit and Universal Credit.
- If you would like to know more about how this may affect you,
or whether you may wish to consider making a claim to benefit,
please see here.
