118 Mr. Nolan asked the Minister for Justice if his attention has been drawn to the undue hardship which is being caused by the large backlog of appeals and applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal; the proposals, if any, he has in order to expedite payment to individuals who have been successful in their claims for compensation.

The delays in the payment of compensation under the Scheme are partly due to the length of time it takes to compile the evidence on which a claim can be assessed and partly due to the limited funds which, in present financial circumstances, can be allocated to the Scheme.

The matter of additional funding for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal is kept under constant review in my Department. As in the case of all public services, funding for criminal injuries compensation has to be allocated on the basis of requirement, competing demands for other services and for the limited financial resources available and the overall budgetary situation.