New Scottish Bill to compensate historic childhood abuse survivors backed by Holyrood committee

A Bill that aims to provide financial compensation for survivors of historic childhood abuse has been backed by a committee of MSPs.

A Bill which aims to provide financial compensation for survivors of historic childhood abuse has been backed by a committee of MSPs in Holyrood (photo: Fraser Bremner).

However, Holyrood's Education Committee has still raised some concerns about how the scheme will work in practice.

The committee published a report into the Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill.

Under the Bill, people who suffered childhood abuse in a residential setting before 2004 could claim for a fixed-rate payment of £10,000, rising to £80,000 based on more detailed examination of their experiences.

But some survivors voiced concerns this was lower than claims for damages typically awarded by civil courts.

The committee said it had "fundamental difficulties" with parts of the Bill that require survivors to sign a waiver preventing them from taking future civil action against an organisation to access the scheme.

Clare Adamson, committee convener, thanked survivors who shared their experiences with MSPs, saying: "It is essential that they remain at the heart of this scheme, that their voices are heard and they continue to be consulted as the scheme develops.

"The committee also spoke to a range of other stakeholders, including organisations responsible for historical abuse.

"It is vital the Scottish Government maximises opportunities for such organisations to participate in the scheme.

"The report makes it clear that further work is required, in order to fully achieve that aim.

"We ask the Scottish Government to look carefully at the recommendations we have made in today's report and reflect on any changes needed ahead of stage two."

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