Higher fines 'unfair attack' on motorists

Motoring organisations today hit out at plans to make drivers who get parking fines or speeding tickets pay extra charges of £35 a time to fund a scheme to help victims of crime.

The AA said the proposal - the brainchild of Home Secretary David Blunkett, who wants to boost the compensation payments available to victims - was another way of attacking motorists who already faced "enormous" taxes.

Mr Blunkett is planning a move to add the £35 on top of penalty charges run up by speeding and parking offenders, including those trapped speed cameras. A speeding fine of £60 would become £95 under the plans. Another proposal would see £3 added to the cost of household insurance policies - also to be added to the compensation fund.

Mr Blunkett's plans emerged in a leaked letter which saw him vow to "send a clear message of placing the victim at the heart of the criminal justice system".

But Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy at the AA Motoring Trust, said: "Generally, the amount claimed back from motorists in taxes, charges and penalty fines is enormous compared with what it used to be. I can't see the logic of paying towards criminal injury compensation from speeding fines, when it may be that no one was injured."

The Home Secretary said Tony Blair was aware of the proposals, but it is not clear what sort of reception they are receiving from Gordon Brown.

The Chancellor guards his powers over the taxation system and has
stepped in brutally to similar crush ideas floated by ministerial colleagues in the past.

The Treasury may end up supporting the motoring fine proposals but not the insurance plan. Treasury Chief Secretary Paul Boateng said in a reply to Mr Blunkett that he was "not convinced of the case" for the £35 charge.

Taken together the proposed moves could raise £150million for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, doubling the payouts it makes annually to victims.

Campaigners have criticised it for paying too little to the victims of serious assaults, compared with the six and seven-figure sums awarded by juries to victims of libel.