From Aberfan to Manchester Arena, victims face fight for help

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, which oversees the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, said victims needed to be able to access “financial compensation as well as practical, emotional, and therapeutic support” and it had made “every effort to communicate with them sensitively and accurately” when claims had been made.

It added: “The taxpayer-funded Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme paid out over £180m last year to support brave survivors of violent crime, including those whose lives have been devastated by appalling terror attacks. We have also established a Support Hub for victims and survivors of terrorism which will help victims to make their own applications.”

Butts, whose role as Independent Public Advocate was created following campaigns by Hillsborough families, said too many bereaved relatives still had to become campaigners, investigators, and experts simply to uncover the truth.

“The fact that we keep having these repeated issues over and over again, that is absolutely a stain on our society,” she said.

“Part of the reason why we’re not learning those lessons is because we haven’t got a proper way of tracking what those lessons are.”

Butts said it was a “really sad fact” that victims and their families were “forced” to hold “feet to the fire” in order to seek truth and justice.

“The burden of seeking truth and justice should rest on the system,” she said.

“It should never rest on those families.”