Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has expressed horror at today’s revelation that 3,700 victims and survivors who are first time applicants to the Victims and Survivors Service have been told there is nothing for them, due to budget cuts.
Mr Nesbitt, who also chairs the Committee of the Office of the First and deputy First Minister, said:
“The Committee heard today that as a result of a so-called Gateway process in March, initiated by OFMDFM, several thousand victims and survivors who had not previously presented as individuals asking for help were encouraged to come forward, only to be told the VSS cupboard is bare.
“Over the last number of days I have been struggling to understand why the VSS and OFMDFM were presenting differing figures with regard to the VSS budget. The VSS say they were told they were starting the financial year with £11.685m, whereas Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness wrote to me to say their initial allocation was £10m.
“It appears the real answer is that having bid for an additional £1.6m in June Monitoring, they actually had £1.685m taken off them, a swing of over £3m, or 30-plus percent.
“This is no way to treat victims and survivors, and the £3m must be restored in October Monitoring.”