Homepage of the Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors
This is the website of the former Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors. Copies of documents produced by the former Interim Commissioner may be downloaded from this site but attention is drawn to the statement at the link to the final report that this was published by Bertha McDougall in her own name and not as Interim Commissioner.
On 24 October 2005, the Secretary of State, Peter Hain MP, announced the appointment of Mrs Bertha McDougall as the Interim Commissioner for Victims and Survivors. The Secretary of State said that 'the decision to appoint a Commissioner on an interim basis has been made to ensure that work continues in this area while legislation is put in place for a more permanent arrangement'.
The Interim Commissioner has been appointed with a remit to look at three key areas:
- to review current arrangements for service delivery and co-ordination of services for victims and survivors across departments and agencies, identifying any gaps in service provision.
- to review how well the current funding arrangements are addressing need in relation to victims and survivors groups and individual victims and survivors
- and to consider the practical issues around establishing a Victims' and Survivors' Forum.
This work has now completed and the Interim Commissioner's final report, Support for Victims and Survivors: Addressing the Human Legacy, is now available.
In a Judgement delivered on January 15, 2007 Lord Justice Girvan held that the post of IVC formally came to an end on 5th December 2006 by operation of Contract. This report is accordingly completed by me in a personal capacity and references in the text to the post of IVC should be read subject to this note.
