7/7 victims sheltered from dole cuts but Troubles victims aren’t

Payments made to surviving victims of the July 7, 2005, terrorist attacks at Tavistock Square and the London Underground will be discounted from welfare calculations, Mr McCausland confirmed.

He stated: “The compensation payments made to the victims of the 2005 London bombings are disregarded for the purposes of income-related benefits and this will continue under Universal Credit, which will replace the income-related benefits for working age people. These payments are disregarded for income-related benefit purposes as they are from a charitable source.”

But the victims of the Troubles will be treated differently because they receive payments from the Victims and Survivors Service (VSS), which is not a charity.

Mr McCausland explained: “Payments to victims of the Troubles are made by the VSS, based on individual assessed needs and the provision of high-quality services to meet those needs.

“The VSS is currently set up as a company limited by guarantee and payments made from it cannot be disregarded for income-related benefit purposes as they are not from a charitable source.”