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The Minister for Justice and Equality, Helen McEntee TD, today announced that she is seeking expressions of interest from practising barristers and solicitors for the part-time position of Member and/or Chair of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal. The term of appointment is for 5 years commencing on 1 January 2021. Applicants must be qualified practising barristers or solicitors with at least five years’ experience and remain practicing for the period of appointment.
The Tribunal currently consists of a Chair and six ordinary members. It administers two non-statutory schemes - the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and a separate compensation scheme for prison officers criminally injured in the course of duty.
Launching the recruitment process, Minister McEntee said:
"I know the trauma and long lasting impact that crime, and particularly violent crime, can have and it is for this reason that a wide range of supports are available to victims of crime to assist them in their recovery. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal makes a very important practical contribution in assisting victims of violent crime. Through the criminal injuries compensation scheme, it aims to ease the financial burden that victims of these crimes may have suffered because of additional expenses or losses."
Applicants are invited to indicate on the application form whether they wish to apply for the position of ordinary Member, Chair or both. A panel will be formed arising from this process which will be in place up to 30 June 2025, and from which any vacancies in membership up to that date may be filled at the Minister’s discretion.
An application booklet, which includes the competition application form and sets out the terms of conditions and qualifying and selection criteria for the positions being advertised - as well as the main duties of the Tribunal Chair and Members - has been prepared for potential applicants and can be found at the following link: www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/WP15000110.
Finally, Minister McEntee also took the opportunity to highlight other supports which are available to victims of crime.
She said:
"I realise that it can at times be intimidating or overwhelming for victims of crime to begin the process of dealing with and recovering from their experience. In order to support victims in that process, an updated Victims Charter was published by my department earlier this year.
"The Charter is a living document and will be updated and expanded on an ongoing basis, to ensure that victims of crime have access at all times to the most up-to-date information on the supports and services available to them. I encourage anyone who has experienced a crime to consult the charter at www.victimscharter.ie."
Applications must be submitted not later than 6pm (Dublin time) on 11 September 2020, and no late or incomplete applications will be accepted.
Any queries concerning this competition should be sent to mcict@justice.ie
ENDS
Completed application forms should be submitted by email to mcict@justice.ie and the email should be entitled ‘CICT Member/Chair, 2020, applicant name’.
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal administers the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The Scheme allows victims of crime (or dependents in fatal cases) to apply for reimbursement of expenses they have incurred, and/or losses that they may have suffered as a direct result of a violent crime or personal injury received in specified circumstances.
The Tribunal also administers a separate Scheme of Compensation for Personal Injuries Criminally Inflicted on Prison Officers who suffer personal injuries due to a violent crime experienced in the course of their duties. The administrative process underpinning both Schemes is the same. The independent Tribunal administers the Scheme with the assistance of a small secretariat staffed by the Department of Justice and Equality. Further information on the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and the work of the Tribunal is available on the Department of Justice and Equality website at the following link: www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/WP15000110.
Details of the main duties of the appointed Tribunal Members and the Chair are set out in the application booklet. Tribunal Members are independent in their decision-making on applications and must administer the Scheme in accordance with the published terms and conditions. Applicants must have the capacity and skills to undertake the role and should have good interpersonal skills and be able to work on their own initiative.
The standard appointment will be for a period of 5 years commencing on January 1 2021 and concluding on December 31 2025. Any members appointed after this date will have an initial appointment up to December 31 2025, irrespective of their start date. On further application, an appointee may be considered for a maximum of one re-appointment at the sole discretion of the Minister.
Applicants must be qualified practising barristers or solicitors and remain such for the period of appointment and have at least 5 years’ experience in practice post-graduation at the time of application.
Should a member of the Tribunal be appointed as a member of the Judiciary, they are required to resign from their Tribunal role. Appointees may be removed from the Tribunal for gross misconduct, incompetence in the role, ceasing to practice as a solicitor or barrister or on conviction of a criminal offence. The appointment of a Tribunal Member may be terminated at any time at the discretion of the Minister.
Those appointed to the Tribunal are not employees of the Department of Justice and Equality and are required to remain practising barristers and solicitors. They provide their services to the Tribunal on a part-time basis and are paid fees for specific tasks undertaken. The fee schedule is set out hereunder.
Travel and subsistence reimbursement in accordance with rates published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform from time to time for the civil service will be provided for essential travel.
The following are the fees payable to Members and Chair of the Tribunal:
Information on the selection process can be found in the booklet.