Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of Windrush generation people that were denied (a) benefits and (b) healthcare as a result of their immigration status being questioned.

Information about individuals who have been denied access to benefits or services is not held by the Home Office.

We set up a task force in April to help people from the Windrush generation to evidence their status and access the services they are entitled to.

The Home Office has sent out communications urging other government departments and public authorities to exercise particular care when responding to applications for benefits and services from the Windrush generation. The Home Office will be notifying NHS Trusts in situations where individuals are issued with documentation by the Taskforce . This is so that the NHS trust can consider if a charge for NHS treatment was applied incorrectly and requires cancellation.

The Home Office has introduced additional safeguards to ensure those from the Windrush generation are not adversely affected by measures designed to protect benefits and services. I have chaired a cross-Whitehall meeting with relevant departments, including the Department of Health, to ensure we are all taking the relevant steps to protect the Windrush generation.

The Government is clear that where the Windrush generation have suffered loss, they will be compensated. The first stage was the launch of a Call for Evidence, that closed on 8 June. The Government will publish a further public consultation on the design and shape of the scheme, as soon as the time has been taken to analyse the responses to the Call for Evidence and use the information gathered to inform design and implementation considerations.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with and support affected individuals through the operation of the Windrush Taskforce.