How to apply for compensation if you were a victim of the terrorist attack in Manchester on 22 May 2017

Below is the statement from Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale to the Scottish Parliament following the Manchester terror attack:

“They would have been dressed in pink, in sparkles, bunny ears perched on their heads and grins on their faces. The very picture of innocence.

“The children who went to see American pop star and Disney TV actress, Ariana Grande, at the Manchester Arena last night would have been unable to contain their excitement. The atmosphere would have been electric.

“Every one of us has been there – been one of them. Enthralled by the sound and vision of a pop star at their peak. Desperate to see, in the flesh, the person whose image we’ve plastered on our bedroom walls.

“Being at a gig is a moment of sheer joy.

“Last night that joy was destroyed in a despicable act of cowardice.

“All that excitement, that innocent elation, turned to fear, to shock, and to horror.

“Just hours after they arrived, children left the concert crying, screaming, utterly bewildered by what had just happened; their ears ringing, not with the echo of pop music, but with the blast of a bomb.

“Today, those children will know that 22 of those who had shared the joy of the concert alongside them, are dead.

“That 59 people are in hospital with terrible injuries. And that too many parents are still desperately searching for the children who haven’t come home.

“Those children too will know the phrase ‘suicide bomber’ and the appalling reality of what that means.

“A story which they might have watched on Newsround, couched in age-appropriate language to soften the roughest of edges, has brutally intruded into their young lives.

“For us, as adults, hearing the news of terrorist atrocities – be they bombs, or bullets, or cars mowing people down in the street – is all too sadly now commonplace.

“We tend to cover our children’s ears and eyes to protect them from the knowledge.

“And we hold them closer, all too aware of the fragility of their precious lives.

“But for those children and young people who witnessed last night’s abominable act, there is no softening the blow, no making it better, no suggesting that these things don’t happen here, or to us, or to people we know.

“They are now fully aware that when someone determines to kill others, when someone purposefully straps a bomb to their body with a twisted plan to detonate it among innocent children, that there is nothing any one of us can do to prevent the horrific, inevitable, outcome.

“And we cannot explain it to them. How can you tell an eight-year-old that there is a justifiable reason that children died last night? How can you explain the actions, the thought-process, of someone who can look at a concert full of young people and see nothing but a target?

“But what we can do is respond well. We can teach our children that the only way to counter such barbarity is not with hate and with fear, but with compassion, tolerance, kindness and love.

“Like the people of Manchester did last night; flocking to help, taking people home, offering places to stay, and searching for children who had become separated from their parents.

“Like those who work in our emergency services did – as they always do – running, unflinching, towards horror, rather than away from it, to offer comfort and care and rescue.

“No doubt over the coming days we will discover the name of the coward who chose to kill excited children at a concert, and there will be attempts to understand why they did it.

“For those who are grieving there will be no worthy answers. For those left traumatised, there will be no comprehension.

“What there will be though is a toughening of our resolve in the face of terror.

“A renewal of our belief in the enduring British values of tolerance and respect.

“And a determination to make sure that such horrific acts will never undermine our freedom, nor our democracy.”

I have just chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency committee COBR, where we discussed the details of – and the response to – the appalling events in Manchester last night.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, and the families and friends of all those affected.

It is now beyond doubt that the people of Manchester, and of this country, have fallen victim to a callous terrorist attack – an attack that targeted some of the youngest people in our society with cold calculation.

This was among the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the United Kingdom. And although it is not the first time Manchester has suffered in this way, it is the worst attack the city has experienced, and the worst ever to hit the north of England.

The police and security services are working at speed to establish the complete picture, but I want to tell you what I can at this stage.

At 10:33pm last night, the police were called to reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena, in Manchester city centre, near Victoria train station.

We now know that a single terrorist detonated his improvised explosive device near one of the exits of the venue, deliberately choosing the time and place to cause maximum carnage and to kill and injure indiscriminately. The explosion coincided with the conclusion of a pop concert, which was attended by many young families and groups of children.

All acts of terrorism are cowardly attacks on innocent people, but this attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice – deliberately targeting innocent, defenceless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives.

As things stand, I can tell you that in addition to the attacker, 22 people have died and 59 people have been injured. Those who were injured are being treated in 8 different hospitals across Greater Manchester. Many are being treated for life-threatening conditions. And we know that among those killed and injured were many children and young people.

We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish, but as an opportunity for carnage.

But we can continue to resolve to thwart such attacks in future, to take on and defeat the ideology that often fuels this violence, and if there turn out to be others responsible for this attack, to seek them out and bring them to justice.

The police and security services believe that the attack was carried out by one man, but they now need to know whether he was acting alone or as part of a wider group. It will take some time to establish these facts, and the investigation will continue. The police and security services will be given all the resources they need to complete that task.

The police and security services believe they know the identity of the perpetrator, but at this stage of their investigations we cannot confirm his name.

The police and emergency services have – as always – acted with great courage and on behalf of the country I want to express our gratitude to them. They acted in accordance with the plans they have in place and the exercises they conduct to test those plans, and they performed with the utmost professionalism.

Four hundred police officers were involved in the operation through the night, and many paramedics, doctors and nurses have worked valiantly – amid traumatic and terrible scenes – to save lives and care for the wounded.

Significant resources have been deployed to the police investigation and there continue to be visible patrols around Manchester, which include the deployment of armed officers.

For people who live and work in Manchester, there remains a large cordon in place around Manchester Arena and Victoria Station, which will be in place for some time. The station is closed and will remain closed while a detailed forensic search is underway.

We know that many friends and relatives of people caught up in the attack are still trying to find out what has happened to their children, brothers and sisters, parents, and loved ones.

So please think of those people who are experiencing unimaginable worry, and if you have any information at all relating to the attack, please contact Greater Manchester Police.

The threat level remains at severe. That means that a terrorist attack remains highly likely. But the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which sets the threat level on the basis of the intelligence available to them, will continue to assess this throughout today and in the days ahead.

Later today, I will travel to Manchester to meet the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Ian Hopkins, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and members of the emergency services who have come to Manchester’s aid in its moment of need.

And – as I announced last night – the general election campaign has been suspended. I will chair another meeting of COBR later today.

At terrible moments like these it is customary for leaders, politicians and others to condemn the perpetrators and declare that the terrorists will not win. But the fact that we have been here before, and the fact that we need to say this again, does not make it any less true.

For as so often, while we experienced the worst of humanity in Manchester last night, we also saw the best.

The cowardice of the attacker met the bravery of the emergency services and the people of Manchester. The attempt to divide us met countless acts of kindness that brought people closer together.

And in the days ahead, those must be the things we remember.

The images we hold in our minds should not be those of senseless slaughter, but of the ordinary men and women who put concerns about their own safety to one side and rushed to help.

Of the men and women of the emergency services who worked tirelessly to bring comfort, to help and to save lives.

Of the messages of solidarity and hope of all those who opened their homes to the victims.

For they are the images that embody the spirit of Manchester and the spirit of Britain – a spirit that, through years of conflict and terrorism, has never been broken. And will never be broken.

There will be difficult days ahead. We offer our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of those affected. We offer our full support to the authorities, the emergency and the security services as they go about their work.

And we all – every single one of us – stand with the people of Manchester at this terrible time.

And today, let us remember those who died and let us celebrate those who helped, safe in the knowledge that the terrorists will never win – and our values, our country and our way of life will always prevail.