Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department are taking to improve the speed of delivery of full compensation under the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Windrush Compensation Scheme is determined to ensure everyone who was affected receives every penny of the compensation to which they are entitled at the earliest point possible. The scheme is making significant progress towards achieving this aim. As of the end of January 2024, the scheme had paid over £80 million in compensation and over 82% of claims received had been given a final decision.
The time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration has been reduced significantly, from 18 months to under 4 months. The 4-month period includes all essential eligibility checks, together with a Preliminary Assessment to make an initial payment of £10,000 wherever possible.
However, each person’s claim is deeply personal and deserves to be processed with the utmost care and sensitivity so that the maximum payment can be made to them.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2021 to Question 183169 on Windrush Compensation Scheme, how many and what proportion of applicants to the Windrush Compensation Scheme have died in the period between applying for and receiving compensation.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
As at the end of November 2023, in line with the latest published Transparency data, out of the 7,534 claims received by the Windrush Compensation Scheme, we are aware of 53 claimants* who have unfortunately passed away after having submitted a claim.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure claims are prioritised for claimants with critical or life-limiting illnesses.
In the unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation claim, before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely with the appointed representative, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible to the family member.
Our priority is to ensure people receive the maximum compensation as quickly as possible. We have reduced the time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration, from 18 months to under 4 months. The 4-month period includes all essential eligibility checks, together with a Preliminary Assessment to make an initial payment of £10k wherever possible.
*Please note that this data is manually recorded and is reliant on the person receiving the information on a claimant’s death, notifying the Windrush Compensation Scheme to record this information.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people whose application for an award under the Windrush Compensation Scheme has been denied have appealed in each quarter since that scheme was launched.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Information on the number of Windrush Compensation Scheme claimants, who have requested a review of their full and final decision, is included in the Windrush Compensation Scheme Transparency Data, which is published regularly. However, the publication does not distinguish between reviews requested on the basis of the claim being awarded a zero entitlement decision (denied), or where the claimant is not satisfied with the value offer received.
The latest published data, covering the period up to December 2023, is available here: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: December 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The relevant page is WCS_09, which contains details of the cumulative number of reviews requested at Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 2 reviews are completed by an Independent Adjudicator outside of the Home Office.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in each quarter since the Windrush Compensation scheme was launched, how many people who received an award applied (a) fewer than three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to 12 months and (d) more than a year before the award.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Windrush Compensation Scheme’s priority is to ensure people receive the maximum compensation as quickly as possible.
The time taken to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration has been reduced from 18 months to under 4 months. The 4-month period includes all essential eligibility checks, together with a Preliminary Assessment to make an initial payment of £10,000 wherever possible.
Information on the time taken from a claim being received to a compensation payment is not published.
Dec. 07 2023
Source Page: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: October 2023Found: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: October 2023
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the time taken to process claims to the Windrush Compensation Scheme from people in Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
I have regular discussions with Home Office ministers on a range of issues and I recognise the contribution of the Windrush Generation to Wales. I was pleased to meet the Windrush Cymru Elders at the Mission Seafarers in Newport on 31 October 2023.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme is determined to ensure everyone who was affected receives every penny of the compensation to which they are entitled at the earliest point possible. The scheme is making significant progress towards achieving this aim. As of the end of November 2023, the scheme had paid over £75 million in compensation and over 78% of claims received had been given a final decision.
The time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration has been reduced significantly, from 18 months to under 4 months. The 4 month period includes all essential eligibility checks, together with a Preliminary Assessment to make an initial payment of £10,000 wherever possible.
However, each person’s claim is deeply personal and deserves to be processed with the utmost care and sensitivity so that the maximum payment can be made to them.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is (1) the average compensation payment under the Windrush Compensation schemes for those wrongly deported, and (2) the compensation payment now being proposed for those sub-postmasters wrongly imprisoned as a result of Post Office action.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Data on how much compensation has been paid by the Windrush Compensation Scheme is published as part of the regular transparency data release. The latest data release can be found here, covering the period up to end of November 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-november-2023. Data on average payments made to individuals suffering specific losses is not reported on regularly.
Individuals who were wrongly imprisoned due to errors caused by the Horizon system will become eligible for a £600,000 up-front payment, or alternatively they can choose to have their claim fully assessed via the individual claim assessment process.
Oct. 04 2023
Source Page: National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 amendments - Windrush Compensation Scheme: equality impact assessmentFound: National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 amendments - Windrush Compensation Scheme
Oct. 26 2023
Source Page: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: September and August 2023Found: Windrush Compensation Scheme data: September and August 2023
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on the effectiveness of the Windrush Compensation Scheme for affected groups.
Answered by Sarah Dines
Since April 2019, the Windrush Compensation Scheme has paid over £67 million in compensation.
The Scheme has reduced the time to allocate a claim for a substantive casework consideration, following completion of eligibility checks and a Preliminary Assessment, from 18 months to under 5 months.
The Home Office continues to listen to feedback from stakeholders and the communities and make improvements the scheme and the way it operates to ensure people receive the maximum compensation at the earliest point possible.