OMAGH LAWYER HEADS CRIMINAL INJURIES PANEL
Omagh lawyer heads Criminal Injuries panel
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
A PROMINENT local solicitor has been appointed Chairman of the newly formed Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland.
However, any expectation that the appointment of Oliver Loughran will help Omagh bomb victims and bereaved families who have been struggling with the Compensation Agency, can be ruled out. The new body can only concern itself with incidents which occurred after this month.
The panel will form a prospective third tier for people claiming compensation as a result of criminal injuries, including those arising as a result of paramilitary attacks. The first two tiers will involve a claim to the compensation agency and, if the client is unsatisfied, an appeal to that body. If the situation is still unresolved, the case can then be taken to the new Appeals Panel.
This is Mr Loughran's first public appointment and, speaking to the UlsterHerald this week, he said he looks forward to the challenges, "It's
different to what I've been used to. I've been a practising solicitor for a number of years so this is something new, something different."
The chairmanship of the panel is a part-time post and, though there are no indications as yet of how often the panel will be required to sit, Mr Loughran intends to continue working at his Omagh law practice.
He said that the new agency will have total autonomy but stressed that the composition of the panel has not yet been finalised and may not be in place until the end of June.
Secretary of State John Reid announced Mr Loughran's appointment on Monday, saying that the Appeals Panel is assisting the government in providing, on society's behalf, a scheme which offers a "tangible measure of sympathy in the form of financial compensation for the blameless victims of violent crime".
The panel is a tribunal, non departmental public body funded by the Northern Ireland Office and will consist of a chairman and a number of adjudicators drawn mainly from the legal and medical professions, but also including lay members.
The government has said that the purpose of the new body is to support the victims of violent crime by determining promptly, impartially, fairly and in accordance with the Criminal injuries Compensation Scheme, appeals decisions made for the exercise of this quasi-judicial function.
Mr Loughran and his co-panellists will be responsible to the Secretary of State through the Northern Ireland Office for the effective operation of what Mr Reid's office describes as its "quasi-judicial functions executive functions".
BY ADRIAN MULLAN
A PROMINENT local solicitor has been appointed Chairman of the newly formed Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel for Northern Ireland.
However, any expectation that the appointment of Oliver Loughran will help Omagh bomb victims and bereaved families who have been struggling with the Compensation Agency, can be ruled out. The new body can only concern itself with incidents which occurred after this month.
The panel will form a prospective third tier for people claiming compensation as a result of criminal injuries, including those arising as a result of paramilitary attacks. The first two tiers will involve a claim to the compensation agency and, if the client is unsatisfied, an appeal to that body. If the situation is still unresolved, the case can then be taken to the new Appeals Panel.
This is Mr Loughran's first public appointment and, speaking to the UlsterHerald this week, he said he looks forward to the challenges, "It's
different to what I've been used to. I've been a practising solicitor for a number of years so this is something new, something different."
The chairmanship of the panel is a part-time post and, though there are no indications as yet of how often the panel will be required to sit, Mr Loughran intends to continue working at his Omagh law practice.
He said that the new agency will have total autonomy but stressed that the composition of the panel has not yet been finalised and may not be in place until the end of June.
Secretary of State John Reid announced Mr Loughran's appointment on Monday, saying that the Appeals Panel is assisting the government in providing, on society's behalf, a scheme which offers a "tangible measure of sympathy in the form of financial compensation for the blameless victims of violent crime".
The panel is a tribunal, non departmental public body funded by the Northern Ireland Office and will consist of a chairman and a number of adjudicators drawn mainly from the legal and medical professions, but also including lay members.
The government has said that the purpose of the new body is to support the victims of violent crime by determining promptly, impartially, fairly and in accordance with the Criminal injuries Compensation Scheme, appeals decisions made for the exercise of this quasi-judicial function.
Mr Loughran and his co-panellists will be responsible to the Secretary of State through the Northern Ireland Office for the effective operation of what Mr Reid's office describes as its "quasi-judicial functions executive functions".
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1030
Published Date: 30-May-02
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