APPTS TO THE CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION APPEALS PANEL

21 Mar 2002 03:43 PM

Home Secretary David Blunkett made two new appointments to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel today:

Roger Goodier has been appointed as Chairman and Suzan Matthews QC has been appointed as Deputy Chair. Both appointments are effective from 1 April 2002 and are for four years.

In addition Roy Burke has been selected as Panel Secretary and will assume the Accounting Officer role previously exercised by the outgoing Chairman, Michael Lewer CBE QC.

Biographical notes

Roger Goodier, aged 57 is a Solicitor. He worked for 12 years as senior partner in a national firm specialising in personal injury work, and was appointed a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel in 2000. He has been a part-time Chairman of the Appeals Service and was secretary of the Association of Personal Injury Solicitors for 5 years.

Suzan Matthews QC, aged 54 is a practising Barrister, Recorder and Deputy High Court Judge. She was appointed a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel in 1997, and has been a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for two years. Other posts held include: Assistant Parliamentary Boundary Commissioner; Chair of MAFF Committees of Special Enquiry and a member of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Board on Family Law. She is a former member of the Gas Consumer Council.

Roy Burke 40, is a civil servant. He joined the Home Office in 1986 and has spent the last 5 years working in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate responsible for preparation and presentation of cases before the Immigration Appellate Authority, latterly as Assistant Director with Operational Planning and Policy
responsibility.

Notes to Editors:

1. The posts of Chairman and Deputy Chair are part-time (three days a week) and salaried (#66,726 and £51,983 respectively).

2. The CICAP Chairman's office telephone is 020 7549 4667.

3. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (CICAP) is the independent appellate body which determines appeals under the tariff-based criminal injuries compensation scheme introduced on 1 April 1996. The Panel is also charged with clearing the residue of claims outstanding under the former, common-law damages based scheme (the 'old scheme').

4. A revised scheme for compensating the victims of violent crime was introduced on 1 April 1996. Claims are assessed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), the successor body to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) which administered the previous criminal injuries compensation scheme. Appeals against CICA decisions are dealt with by a independent appellate body, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (CICAP).

5. CICA processes some 80,000 applications annually, some 5% of which result in an appeal to CICAP. The scheme pays out over £200 million a year in compensation.