1. Introduction
The purpose of this Realistic Role Preview (RRP) material is to help you understand the eligibility requirements and explore your suitability to become a Victims’ Payments Board (VPB) Ordinary (Lay) Member. It is designed to help you make a reasonably informed decision about whether or not to submit an application.
It serves as a guide rather than a definitive statement about your eligibility and suitability. There are two more parts:
- Section 2: Background information about The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment (TPDP) Scheme; Victims’ Payments Scheme, and an overview of the VPB Ordinary (Lay) Member role.
- Section 3: Self-Assessment Questionnaire designed to give you a more in-depth feel for the eligibility criteria and suitability.
Being a Victims’ Payments Board member isn’t for everyone. It is intellectually, psychologically, physically and emotionally demanding but it is also immensely rewarding. Because of this you need to ensure that you are right for the role and role is right for you.
You would be a member of a panel that will determine whether an applicant is entitled to payments under the scheme, subject to an assessment by a health care professional of the degree of relevant disablement of the applicant. You will also serve as a member of the Board.
The Board is to be made up of people from a diverse range of backgrounds, skills and abilities, not just those with legal or medical qualifications and experience. Whatever your work or life experience, it is your personal qualities that will stand out. You will need strong analytical skills to review and consider substantial amounts of complex documentary evidence, matched with the resilience to retain a clear, impartial and independent focus on establishing the facts and apply sound judgement to reach reasoned and defensible decisions that will need to withstand intense personal, legal and public scrutiny. Most of all, you will need the ability to deal sensitively with victims and survivors of the troubles who may apply to the scheme, taking a genuine interest in their concerns, perspective, feelings and needs.
The applications you review and the hearings you attend will be unique and contain some very traumatic, distressing and personal detail about those who have suffered and are living with permanent disablement (either physical or psychological) sustained in Troubles/ conflict-related incidents. You can expect the role to be intellectually stimulating but extremely challenging at the same time. A range of training and support will be provided to assist in managing with the process.
In addition to reviewing applications and hearing appeals, you will also be a member of the Victims’ Payments Board and have responsibility to assist the President of the Board with corporate governance. Responsibilities will include; good governance, accountability and value for money in the administration of public funds, providing strategic, policy development, and risk management, which will place additional demands on your time. Before applying you should consider what time you have available to commit to the role. While there is no guaranteed commitment of sessions/hearings it would be reasonable to expect members to be available for a minimum of 2/3 panel sessions/ hearings each month. In addition, there would normally be a monthly meeting of the full Board, with the opportunity to become involved in meetings with sub-groups established to deal with specific areas of work. The Secretariat will allocate sessions/hearings based on advance availability provided by the Board member.
It should take about 30 minutes of your time to read and work through the other parts of this document and we recommend that you should read all this information and complete the self-assessment questionnaire in Section 2 in one sitting.
2. Background
Under Section 10 of the Northern Ireland Act 2019, the UK Government was required to bring forward legislation providing for a scheme of payments to those living with injuries sustained in Troubles/ conflict-related incidents. The Victims' Payments Regulations 2020 were laid before Parliament on 31 January by the Northern Ireland Office. The Scheme established by these Regulations is The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment (TPDP) Scheme.
The purpose of the TPDP Scheme is to acknowledge the harm suffered by those injured in the Troubles in Northern Ireland and to promote reconciliation between people in connection with Northern Ireland’s troubled past.
The scheme has been designed to provide those who suffered permanent disablement (either physical or psychological) as a result of an injury caused through no fault of their own, in a Troubles-related incident with payments primarily in acknowledgement of the acute harm which they have suffered. It will also provide a measure of recognition of the implications of living with a permanent disablement caused by a Troubles-related injury and the associated impact of such disablement, and recognition that in many cases coping with disablement caused by the serious injury had an adverse financial impact on individuals and their families.
The Executive Office (TEO) within the Northern Ireland Executive designated the Department of Justice (DoJ) to exercise the administrative functions of the TPDP Scheme on behalf of the VPB. The administrative team are responsible for processing applications made to the Scheme. The Board will decide the order in which applications will be prioritised but must give priority to applications made by applicants who are terminally ill. For the purposes of the scheme, that will include applications from the individuals who have been given a prognosis of less than 12 months to live at the date of making an application.
The Board (see link to website here) may also prioritise applications for consideration. When making such a decision, the Board must take into account (a) when evidence is available to the Board to allow the application to be determined quickly (b) the age of each applicant and (c) the health of each applicant (as far as it is disclosed to the Board).
The President of the VPB will appoint panels to consider the application on behalf of the Board. The panel will determine whether the applicant is entitled to payments under the scheme, subject to an assessment by a health care professional of the degree of relevant disablement of the applicant.
The panel also must determine that where an application relates to more than one Troubles-related incident, which of the incidents provide entitlement to payments under the scheme.
A panel can consist of one legal member of the Board or three members, including one legal member, medical and one ordinary (lay) member. If the panel consists of three members, the legal member will be the chair; if the panel includes the President of the Board, the President will chair the panel. A determination of a panel is on the basis of the majority of members of the panel.
If there is a need to consider any relevant conviction(s) and whether the relevant conviction(s) makes the entitlement to payments inappropriate, the panel must consist of three members and established in the same way as outlined above.
A determination made by the Victims’ Payments Board can be appealed at any stage of the process within 12 months of the date an applicant was notified of the decision or assessment. However, the President of the Board may extend this time period if it is considered it equitable having regard to the circumstances.
This can include an appeal against any of the following decisions regarding:
- eligibility to the scheme;
- degree of disablement; or,
- adjustments / deductions made to an award.
An appeal must be submitted to the Victims’ Payments Board using the appropriate documentation and must set out grounds of the appeal in writing.
Appeals will be considered by a three-member panel of the Victims’ Payments Board which will include one Legal Member, one Medical Member and one Ordinary (Lay) Member. The Legal Member will be the chair; if the panel includes the President of the Board, the President will chair the panel. A determination of a panel is on the basis of the majority of members of the panel. Members of the appeal panel will not include those who considered the original application.
When required, the panel may request that a further assessment of the degree of disablement is carried out by the health-care professional.
Following a decision on an appeal, the Victims’ Payments Board will advise of the details of any decisions along with a summary of the reasons for the decision.
Applicants will need to ensure they meet the basic eligibility and good character criteria to apply and to become a Board member, as well as showing the potential to perform the role effectively. Applicants should carefully consider the TPDP Scheme and the Board member role and then complete the self-assessment questionnaire honestly and assess for themselves whether the role be suitable for them, before considering applying.
3. Self-Assessment Questionnaire
This has been designed to give you a more in-depth feel for the eligibility criteria and suitability. Take the self-assessment questionnaire.