To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister what consideration they have given to the implementation of an independent process evaluation of the Victims Payment Board with participants who have been through the system and received an outcome.

Under Regulation 52 of the Victims’ Payments Regulations, the Secretary of State must conduct a review of the Victims’ Payments Scheme within 3 years of it opening. The review therefore needs to be completed by August 2024.

The Secretary of State has advised that the review is underway

In preparing the report, the Regulations state that the Secretary of State must consult, amongst others, persons representing the interests of those injured or killed as a result of relevant incidents as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

We have written to the Secretary of State providing our feedback on the extent to which the Scheme has met the principles. The Victims’ Payments Board President, staff and representatives of Sectoral Support Groups have also been consulted and contributed to this Review.

In addition, the Victims’ Payments Board keeps the Scheme application and assessment process under continuous review to identify any potential improvements which could increase the throughput of cases and improve the overall applicant experience.

The Board has recently engaged an independent review of operational processes to ensure that those processes are as efficient as possible.

The Board is happy to receive feedback from applicants at any stage of the process.

A Sectoral Engagement Group, chaired by TEO, meets on a regular basis to discuss any issues of concern within victims and survivors representative groups in relation to the Scheme and look for ways to improve the client journey.