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Crime and Security Bill (Ways and Means)

The full details of the costs of the scheme will be considered in Committee. Let me simply say today that we are making provision through the Ways and Means motion to ensure that this procedure can be debated thoroughly in Committee. Businesses will only pay the sum to which I have just referred when they lose an appeal. As a result, the payment will reflect the variable costs of all adjudications. It is also intended that the motorist will be required to pay a modest fee for each appeal made, irrespective of whether that appeal succeeds. The intention is not to burden appellants unduly, but to discourage speculative appeals without foundation. Since the payment made by losing companies will contribute to covering the costs of other cases where the vehicle immobilisation business has won the appeal, and it will be based on averaging out the costs over all appeal cases, there is an element of cross-subsidy. The Home Office believes that this is the fairest approach; the bulk of the overall cost is met by those companies that lose appeals, but a modest fee will discourage motorists from speculative appeals. In general, a Ways and Means resolution is needed if people are required to pay out money other than for a service or other benefit that they are receiving fairly directly. The House will be aware that my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on Second Reading that we would table amendments to the Bill to provide for the establishment of a victims of overseas terrorism compensation scheme. As with the legislation governing the domestic criminal injuries compensation scheme, the amendments to the Bill include provision for compensation to be repayable in circumstances specified in the scheme. The criminal injuries compensation scheme of 2008 provides for compensation to be repaid where the beneficiary subsequently receives a payment in respect of the same injury from another source—for example, following a civil claim for damages. We envisage that the overseas terrorism compensation scheme will include a similar provision. As with the domestic scheme, new clause 14 tabled to the Bill provides for any such repayments to be paid into the Consolidated Fund. Provisions in legislation about the use of receipts must be authorised by a Ways and Means resolution, hence the second paragraph of the motion before the House today. We have had an extensive debate—