Home Secretary has reaffirmed her
department’s commitment to the Windrush generation, whilst
hosting her first formal meeting with the Windrush
Cross-Government Working Group.
It comes as new figures show that by the end of last year, more
than £64 million in compensation had been paid or offered by the
Home Office to those affected by the Windrush scandal.
Some 15,713 people have been helped to secure documentation
confirming their right to be in the UK.
The Windrush Working Group was set up in June 2020 and brings
together stakeholders and community leaders with senior
representatives from several government departments.
The meeting today (24 January), which took place at 10 Downing
Street, involved discussions on the operation of the Windrush
Compensation Scheme, the Home Office’s progress in responding to
the recommendations of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review and
planning across government to mark the 75th anniversary of the
arrival of MV Empire Windrush in June.
Home Secretary said:
A huge amount has been achieved in responding to and learning the
lessons of Windrush and I’m delighted to have been able to host
the Windrush Working Group – who have done so much to help shape
the Home Office’s response.
The fact we have now offered or paid more than £64 million in
compensation to those affected by the scandal is due in no small
part to their tenacity and expertise.
I am committed to working with my co-chair Bishop Webley and the
group’s other members to continue to drive the improvements this
department must make.
The Home Secretary reiterated her commitment to ensure those
affected receive the compensation they deserve and that the
department she leads learns the lessons of Windrush.
Bishop Derek Webley, co-chair of the Windrush Working Group said:
The Home Secretary has made clear that she’s committed to working
with us on these vitally important issues.
We will continue to ensure the voices of the community are heard
and I’m confident our advice and constructive challenge will
continue to have a positive and tangible impact.
We’ve worked hard to support and serve the interests of the
Windrush generation, who have contributed so much to the life of
this country, and we have made very good progress but we all
recognise there is more to do.
The group has been integral to driving improvements to the
Windrush Compensation Scheme, culminating in its overhaul in
December 2020, when the minimum payment was raised from £250 to
£10,000. This minimum award is now paid as a preliminary payment
as soon as someone applying can demonstrate an impact on their
life under the terms of the scheme.
It has advised on the design and delivery of the £500,000
Windrush Schemes Community Fund, which allowed community and
grassroot organisations to bid for up to £25,000 to deliver
projects encouraging applications to the Home Office’s
documentation and compensation schemes. It also advised the
department on a communications campaign with the same objectives.
And it has provided strategic input into the Home Office’s
response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review (WLLR), which was
written by Wendy Williams and published in March 2019. In her
follow-up progress report, published last March, Ms Williams
concluded that 21 of her 30 recommendations had been met or
partially met. The Home Office will be updating Parliament
shortly on its progress in responding to all of the
recommendations in the report.
Most recently, in October 2022, the Home Office established the
Office for the Independent Examiner of Complaints (recommendation
25), offering customers of the department’s immigration services
an opportunity to have their case reviewed independently if they
remain unhappy with the outcome of a complaint.
Compensation Scheme
Statistics
Today’s statistics show that £53.98 million had been paid out by
the end of December 2022 across 1,417 claims. A further £10.09
million has been offered, awaiting acceptance, or pending review,
taking the total amount paid or offered to more than £64 million.
The statistics also highlight a significant increase in the
number of claims receiving a final decision during the calendar
year 2022, at 1,485, compared to 873 in 2021.
Payments to date include some very significant sums. More than
200 people have been paid between £50,000 and £100,000 and over a
dozen have been paid more than £200,000.