Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Monday 17 January 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Home Office has recruited 40 new caseworkers and plans to hire 35 more to expedite Windrush compensation claims processing.
  • The Home Office has refreshed and streamlined internal processes to reduce processing times for Windrush compensation claims.
  • The Home Office states that outsourcing the Windrush compensation scheme would introduce further delays and is committed to providing timely compensation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Immigration NHS
Context

A report criticised the Home Office for apologising to charities and community groups meant to support Windrush victims, with a constituent waiting two years for compensation. The budget remains underspent.

Question

What steps has she taken to expedite the processing of Windrush compensation scheme claims? A recent report criticised the Home Office, which was forced to apologise to charities and community groups that were meant to be supporting victims with their applications. It took two years for one of my constituents to receive a reply, which is an absolute disgrace considering the age profile of Windrush victims.

Answer from Kevin Foster

We have recruited 40 new caseworkers, with 35 more in the pipeline for the coming months. We have also refreshed and streamlined internal processes to reduce processing times. Outsourcing would merely introduce further delays; we will pay compensation that is due without a ceiling.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about outsourcing was not addressed directly, although reasons against it were given.

How: As We Have Said Before

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Q2 Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Immigration
Context

Only 5% of claimants had received any compensation, with 23 people dying before receiving their compensation.

Question

I remind the Home Secretary of the legal maxim, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” This Government promised to try to right some of the wrongs with the Windrush compensation scheme in a time-limited manner. In November, the Home Affairs Committee found that only 20% of claimants had applied and only 5% had received any compensation. Twenty-three people have died before receiving their compensation.

Answer from Kevin Foster

Moving this operation out of the Home Office would merely further delay the provision of compensation. We are recruiting more caseworkers and speeding up the process.

Not addressed: The specific ask about an independent body was not addressed directly; instead, reasons against it were provided.

How: Again, We Would Make The Point

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Q3 Naseem Shah Lab Bradford West
Immigration
Context

Only 5% of claimants had received any compensation, with 23 people dying before receiving their compensation.

Question

I remind the Home Secretary of the legal maxim, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” This Government promised to try to right some of the wrongs with the Windrush compensation scheme in a time-limited manner. In November, the Home Affairs Committee found that only 20% of claimants had applied and only 5% had received any compensation. Twenty-three people have died before receiving their compensation.

Answer from Kevin Foster

Moving this operation out of the Home Office would merely further delay the provision of compensation. We are recruiting more caseworkers and speeding up the process.

Not addressed: The specific ask about an independent body was not addressed directly; instead, reasons against it were provided.

How: Again, We Would Make The Point

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