Victim Surcharge Fund: annual report 2023 to 2024

1. Introduction

1.1 The victim surcharge came into force in Scotland on 25 November 2019 and applies to all persons who commit an offence on or after that date who are subsequently convicted and receive a court fine.

1.2 The surcharge is collected from offenders by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) in the same way it collects fines and compensation orders. The surcharge is then transferred to the Victim Surcharge Fund (“the Fund”) which is administered by the Scottish Government.

1.3 Under Regulation 7 of the Victim Surcharge (Scotland) Regulations 2019^[1], (the 2019 Regulations), the Scottish Ministers must keep records of:

• every payment made into the Fund;
• every payment made out of the Fund;
• the recipients of payments made out of the Fund;
• the outlays incurred in administering the Fund which have been paid to the Scottish Ministers under section 253G(4)(d) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act); and
• the balance of the Fund.

1.4 Under Regulation 8 of the 2019 Regulations^[2], the Scottish Ministers must prepare and publish a report on the administration of the Fund. This is the third annual report and covers the period between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.

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