Key Facts

• The Windrush compensation scheme was launched on April 3, 2019.
• The estimated cost of the scheme based on 15,000 claimants ranges from £120 million to £310 million.
• The lessons learned review by Wendy Williams has been ongoing for two years and will be submitted once complete.
• Windrush Compensation Scheme extended until 2 April 2023.
• Martin Forde QC was appointed in May 2018 to advise on the scheme’s design.
• The exceptional payments scheme should prevent individuals from falling through the cracks.
• The first payment under the Windrush Compensation Scheme was made in July within four months of the scheme's launch.
• The scheme is being extended until April 2023.
• More than 30 engagement events have been held to promote awareness of the compensation scheme.
• The Bill aims to compensate victims of the Windrush scandal but has been criticized as inadequate.
• Only 36 out of more than 1,000 claimants have received compensation amounting to just over £62,000.
• There are calls for a special hardship scheme and statutory footing for compensation similar to criminal injuries.
• Since April 2018, there have been over 8,000 applications for documentation but only 1,000 applications for compensation.
• Home Office officials have visited Afro-Caribbean churches to engage with potential claimants.
• The Windrush scandal affects people from the Caribbean and other Commonwealth countries who came to the UK before 1973.
• The book 'The Blunders of our Governments' by King and Crewe is mentioned.
• Steven Baker represents a diverse community where 48 languages are spoken in one primary school.
• The MP expresses shame over someone being badly affected by immigration policies.
• Windrush scandal involves negligence and recklessness by the Government Department.
• Victims suffered from home and job losses, denied healthcare, pensions, and social security.
• National Audit Office warned about the impact of hostile environment policies since at least 2013.
• Compensation scheme must be designed to cater to marginalized, vulnerable individuals.
• The statement criticises the Home Office for failing to recognise the impact of its immigration rules and laws.
• Pro bono lawyers, volunteers, and students are helping individuals navigate the application process.
• The original deadline for applications might have been capable of legal challenge.
• The scheme restricts access to social security benefits, housing, employment, and education.
• Caseworker guidance requires a criminal standard of proof for certain claims, such as loss of earnings.
• The Windrush scandal is described as a stain on the history of the UK.
• It resulted from administrative failings under successive Governments.
• There is a call to scrap the right to rent scheme.
• Urgent publication of the Williams lessons learned review is requested.
• The Windrush Compensation Scheme was launched in April 2018.
• Few people have received compensation so far.
• The speaker aims to highlight the need for change within the Home Office to prevent future injustices.
• James Blair owned 1,598 slaves and received £83,350 in compensation when slavery was abolished.
• The British Government paid out the equivalent of £16.5 billion to compensate slave owners for the loss of their 'property'.
• Only £62,198 has been paid to 36 people from the Home Office compensation pot.
• Approximately only 3% of Windrush claimants have received compensation.
• At least 11 people have died before receiving any compensation.
• The Home Office estimates that up to 15,000 people could be eligible for compensation.
• Only 1,108 individuals have applied for compensation so far.
• The Windrush Compensation Scheme is estimated to cost between £120 million and £310 million.
• Over 1,100 people have submitted claims so far under the scheme.
• The compensation covers up to eight different areas of life impact with payments potentially in the tens of thousands of pounds.
• The Windrush scandal has been a shameful blot on the country.
• The speaker represents one of the largest Caribbean communities in the UK, with over 70 cases handled in two years.
• Individuals who arrived with British passports have had difficulties regularising their status due to fear and trauma.
• The compensation scheme's design has made claim processes much more complicated than necessary.
• People do not have time, support, or documentation needed for the claims process.
• There is a need for discretion in evaluating applications based on available evidence.
• The Bill aims to rectify mistakes made in dealing with members of the Windrush generation.
• The process requires evidence of when folks arrived in the UK to claim compensation.
• There are issues about the length of time claimants are waiting for their compensation.
• Some individuals have passed away while awaiting confirmation of their citizenship status.
• Richard Stewart arrived from Jamaica in 1955 at age 10.
• Lloyd Grant came to England from Jamaica in 1970, aged 11.
• Many Windrush generation individuals faced homelessness and denial of NHS care due to the scandal.
• The Windrush scandal represents one of the largest injustices in recent times.
• Only 3% of claimants have received payment from the compensation scheme in 10 months.
• Tanya Simms was denied a British passport despite being born in Britain and having parents who were passport holders.
• Victor Mujakachi, a Zimbabwean asylum seeker, was detained during a routine reporting appointment.
• It is 652 days since Amber Rudd resigned as Home Secretary after the Windrush scandal broke.
• One in ten Birmingham residents were born in Commonwealth countries overseas.
• The independent nature of the compensation scheme includes QC Martin Forde and community groups.
• Over 3,600 people have secured British citizenship through the taskforce set up last year.
• The Windrush Compensation Scheme has compensated only £62,198 out of 36 awards from 1,108 claims made by December 2019.
• The scheme's total compensation payments are estimated between £20.5 million and £301.3 million.
• Clause 1 reserves the right to modify the scheme 'from time to time'.
• The Windrush Compensation Scheme provides payments to individuals who suffered adverse effects due to lack of proper documentation.
• The scheme is open to anyone with the right to live or work in the UK, arrived before December 31, 1988, and those from Commonwealth countries arriving and settling in the UK before 1973.
• Over 1,400 people and organisations contributed to shaping the design of the new scheme through a consultation process.
• The constituency has a strong connection with the Windrush generation.
• Gretel Gocan is the first Windrush citizen to return to the UK after the scandal but has not received compensation.
• Chiplyn Burton was illegally deported and faces difficulties accessing hardship fund support.
• The compensation scheme is deemed unfit for purpose by affected constituents.
• Lawyers providing pro bono advice are often contacted by Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) advisers seeking help.
• The compensation scheme has only given out payments to 3% of claimants.
• A flight is scheduled for tomorrow that will deport people who have lived in Britain for decades.
• Some individuals to be deported were born in Britain or moved there when they were very young.
• The speaker mentions that it has been two years since the Windrush scandal began.
• Akiva is facing deportation despite having lived in Britain since he was four and his parents and siblings being British citizens.
• Five people deported to Jamaica between 2018 and 2019 were killed, with two dying on the same day due to lack of support and safety.
• The word 'Windrush' has become symbolic with scandal.
• An 18-page form and 44 pages of guidance are required to apply for compensation.
• There is no Citizens Advice Bureau in the London Borough of Ealing, home to 360,000 residents.
• Only 3% of Windrush claimants have received compensation.
• £64,000 is the sum offered in compensation which seems low given the years of loss of earnings.
• The Home Office has approved only 36 out of 8,000 expected applications.
• A million people could be eligible to apply for Windrush compensation.
• 94,000 British citizens applied for Irish passports last year.
• Only 3% of applicants have received any compensation.
• More than 8,000 people have applied for necessary documentation since April 2018.
• Victims are seeking compensation for legal costs incurred during the scandal.
• The scheme has received 8,000 taskforce applications but only 1,100 have been followed up with a compensation claim.
• The Minister extended an invitation for his shadows and other MPs to visit the compensation team based in Leeds.
• The initial procurement of independent advice went to Citizens Advice and will be extended until a new service is procured.
• The Windrush stakeholder advisory group was launched on 26 September 2019.
• The group's purpose is to seek advice on communications and engagement strategy from community leaders, lawyers, and faith groups across the country.
• The scheme has been extended and mitigation policy altered as requested by stakeholders.