Nearly 2000 applicants still waiting on Scots child abuse compensation decision

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Nearly 2,000 people have been kept waiting on a decision over their historic child abuse compensation claims.Only one third of applications were processed by the end of September.Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Survivors have spoken out about long delays, confusing paperwork and allegations of lawyers profiteering.“The Scottish Government must now consider how it can expand eligibility for the scheme to ensure that no one is falling between the cracks of our national efforts to confront historic abuse.“It must also make the process for compensating survivors as clear and as simple as possible.“Unfortunately, at the moment, the process is at risk of becoming an ordeal in and of itself.”Nicola Sturgeon’s Government agreed a redress scheme to survivors of historical child abuse who were in care.Financial contributors include councils, health boards, religious bodies and charities such as Barnado’s.A council paper seen by the Record shows that over £50m of redress awards have been made since 2021.But of the 2,889 applications only 923 have been completed, a gap described as a “significant backlog”.The report added: "A determination has only been made for 32% of applicants (this figure was 24% in April 2023).”Although over £50m has been awarded, the sum actually paid out as of the end of September was £46.7m.Former deputy first minister John Swinney said at the time of the launch that all applicants would be treated with “dignity” and “respect”.Tory MSP Jamie Greene said: “While this scheme was well-intentioned and clearly been of benefit to some survivors, it has been beleaguered with problems from the outset and has let down some abuse survivors.“It is deeply concerning that so many crucial applications are not being