Victim Surcharge Fund: annual report 2021-2022

A report on those payments made into and out of the Victim Surcharge Fund, the recipient organisations, the administration costs and balance of the fund for the period 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.


Victim Surcharge Fund: Annual Report 2021-2022

1. Introduction

1.1 The victim surcharge came into force in Scotland on 25 November 2019 and applies to all persons who commit an offence on or after that date who are subsequently convicted and receive a court fine.

1.2 The surcharge is collected from offenders by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), in the same way it collects fines and compensation orders. The surcharge is then transferred to the Victim Surcharge Fund (the Fund) which is administered by the Scottish Government.

1.3 Under Regulation 8 of the Victim Surcharge (Scotland) Regulations 2019 (the 2019 Regulations)[1], Scottish Ministers must prepare and publish a report on the administration of the Fund. This report covers the period from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2022.

1.4 This report provides information on the matters set out in Regulation 7 of the 2019 Regulations:

  • every payment made into the Fund;
  • every payment made out of the Fund;
  • the recipients of payments made out of the Fund;
  • the outlays incurred in administering the Fund which have been paid to the Scottish Ministers under section 253G(4)(d) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act); and
  • the balance of the Fund.

Through the Victims' Fund, a person we support was able to get his fence replaced, after which the antisocial behaviour ceased. He was very glad to be able to move about freely again and was very thankful for the financial support given. (Victim Support Scotland)

2. Payments made into the Fund from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

2.1 Table(i) shows the schedule of payment made into the Fund by SCTS during the period covered by this report[2].

Table(i)
Date Payment made to the Fund by SCTS Total
14/04/2021 £22,412.74
17/05/2021 £13,767.78
09/06/2021 £20,725.19
22/07/2021 £14,069.12
13/08/2021 £26,421.92
17/09/2021 £29,565.51
11/10/2021 £23,314.00
10/11/2021 £32,541.11
21/12/2021 £41,532.68
21/01/2022 £28,870.24
14/02/2022 £29,221.85
11/03/2022 £30,300.67
  £312,742.81

3. Payments made out of the Fund from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022

3.1 Table (ii) shows every payment and the recipients of payments made out of the fund, from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

Table (ii)
Recipient Award amount
Families Affected by Murder and Suicide (FAMS) £10,000
People Experiencing Trauma And Loss (PETAL) £10,000
The Manda Centre £5,000
The Moira Fund £12,000
Victim Support Scotland £120,000
  £157,000

"There were many horrible things that she had to endure, but one of them was that she had left without her or her child's clothes and had been trying to get some back from the abusive partner. He sent a box of her child's clothes all cut up and torn. The Fund application was for vouchers to buy winter clothing for herself and her daughter…"

3.2 The Fund opened for a second round of applications (in addition to those paid out in terms of Table (ii) above) on 7 December 2021. Awards were made to successful applicants in April 2022. Information on the application process and amounts awarded to successful applicants is provided in Annex A.

4. Outlays incurred in administering the Fund

4.1 There have been no outlays incurred in administering the Fund which have been paid to Scottish Ministers under section 253G(4)(d) of the 1995 Act.

5. The balance of the Fund

5.1 The balance remaining in the Fund at 31 March 2022 was £304,552.27.

Contact

Email: VictimSurchargefund@gov.scot

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