Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has appointed solicitor William Aylmer as interim chair of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal (CICT) until the end of this year.

Previous chair Helen Boyle was appointed as a judge of the Circuit Court earlier this year.

Schemes

The independent body considers applications from or on behalf of people who suffer a personal injury or death as a result of a crime of violence under a scheme funded by the Department of Justice and Equality.

The CICT also administers a second scheme to compensate prison officers injured as the result of a crime. It can also help those who have been victims of a crime in another EU state to claim compensation.

Vacancy

There are currently five ordinary members of the tribunal – barristers Mema Byrne, Cian Kelly and Grace Mulherin and solicitors Martin Lawlor and Niamh Tuite. The department says the one remaining vacancy on the body will be filled as soon as is practical.

The tribunal is made up of seven qualified barristers and solicitors, and is limited to a chair and six ordinary members, who act on a part-time basis.

Application

The incident in which the injury was caused must have been reported to the Gardaí without delay. Application must be made to the tribunal as soon as possible but not later than three months after the incident.

Tribunal members decide whether an application is admissible and whether compensation is payable.