Sick and elderly victims of historic child abuse in state care will be able to claim payments of £10,000 each under a scheme announced yesterday by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
The money is in recognition of the abuse they suffered and aims to reach those who due to age or terminal illness are unlikely to survive long enough to claim compensation under a more comprehensive scheme the Scottish Government has promised to deliver by March 2021.
Mr Swinney said the payments would not undo the harm done by abuse people had suffered in childhood, but would provide "acknowledgement and tangible recognition" of their suffering.
The fast-track, flat rate payments have already been opened for applications, with a telephone support line to be operational on Monday. Mr Swinney said the application process was being kept as straightforward as possible, so as to minimise delays. Abuse survivors will not have to prove they were abused by will need to provide documentary evidence that they were in the care of the state at the time they claim to have been abused.
£10m has been set aside for the interrim payments. Announcing the scheme last October, Mr Swinney offered an “an unreserved and heartfelt apology to everyone who suffered abuse in care in Scotland” on behalf of the Scottish Government, which he said is “deeply ashamed”.
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