Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on compensating victims of the Windrush scandal; and what the deadline is for applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

The latest set of data relating to the Windrush Compensation Scheme (WCS) was published on 27 August and is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-august-2020. This covers data up until the end of July 2020.

These show a clear increasing trajectory of payments: £1,053,223 was paid up to 31 July 2020, of which £298,112 was paid in the most recent month.

We are processing claims and awarding compensation as quickly as possible. The first payment was made just four months after the scheme was launched and we are making interim payments where parts of a claim can be resolved more easily than others.

However, each person’s claim is deeply personal and requires detailed consideration to understand their individual circumstances and experiences. Some individuals’ experiences are more complex than others and it is right we take the time to ensure these are considered carefully. We have also put people at the heart of the Scheme. We want each person to get the maximum compensation to which they are entitled, and we will work with individuals to support them in this. This holistic approach necessarily takes time but ultimately is beneficial to individuals.

In February this year we extended the duration of the Windrush Compensation Scheme by two years. The scheme will now be open for claims until April 2023.