Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the average waiting time for cases to be determined by the criminal injuries compensation tribunal in respect of applications for compensation under the scheme of compensation for personal injuries criminally inflicted; the measures she is taking to expedite the processing of applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8732/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that under the terms of the Scheme of Compensation for Personal Injuries Criminally Inflicted, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal is entirely independent in the matter of individual applications for compensation under the Scheme and is also responsible for the administration of the Scheme.

I understand that information in relation to the average length of time taken to process applications is not available as the time taken to process an application can vary widely from case to case. For instance, if there is a delay in receiving the Garda report or if Tribunal queries arise which result in applicants taking time to respond or if there is a dispute between dependants or family members an application may take some time to finalise. In addition, I understand that in cases of serious injury to the victim it can take a considerable amount of time (in some cases a number of years) before their treating consultant is in a position to give a final prognosis.

There is no time limit for the submission of an application in a fatal case. However, under the terms of the Scheme it is a matter for the claimant to establish his/her case, that is, to provide the Tribunal with the necessary documentation to support the claim.

Applications are processed as quickly as possible subject to some of the constraints mentioned above.