Five years worth of outstanding reports from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) will be tabled in the House of Assembly in the autumn, the Attorney General has pledged.

The most recent annual report available to taxpayers from the publicly funded body is from 2003 but AG Kim Wilson — who was appointed in December 2007 — told The Royal Gazette that would soon change.

"They are going to be tabled in November," she said. Explaining why reports have not been laid before Parliament for the years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, she added: "The information we got from the CICB was not in report form."

Senator Wilson said the permanent secretary (PS) at the Ministry of Justice sent the information back to the CICB and asked for it to be in the report.

"That's what's being worked on now," she said.

"I have the PS dealing with this as it relates to the proper format, as I have instructed all concerned that the reports must be tabled in November."

The CICB compensates victims of crime and has a budget of $400,000 for this year.

It is chaired by Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller and members include public prosecutor Auralee Cassidy, orthopaedic surgeon Panagal Chelvam, lawyer David Kessaram and former Bermuda Monetary Authority CEO Cheryl Ann Lister.

The Criminal Injuries (Compensation) Act 1973 requires the board to submit an annual report to the Attorney General as soon as possible after the end of each calendar year and the Minister must then lay the report before the House of Assembly and Senate.

But the Clerk to the Legislature told this newspaper that the last time a CICB report was tabled in the House was in February 2006 — and that was for 2003.

Yesterday, in response to the AG's explanation for the delay, the secretary to the board said: "This is the first time CICB heard of this and we would like to seek clarification [from the AG and the permanent secretary]."

The secretary added that the old reports were sent directly for the attention of Sen. Wilson's two predecessors, who were Larry Mussenden and Philip Perinchief.

The secretary said the 2009 report had not been sent to Sen. Wilson yet so information on the total number of claims for compensation for last year and so far this year, as well as a breakdown of the types of crimes involved and the total amount paid out to applicants, could not be provided to this newspaper.

She added: "There is a standard procedure that we have to follow. Once the AG receives the report, it will be tabled before the House.

"When this process has been exhausted, this is the only time that we can release any information pertaining to the report. To this end, unfortunately we cannot release any information. The 2010 report is not ready yet as the year has not ended." ends