Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,how many staff will be working in the newly established Windrush Generation task force; from which parts of (a) her Department and (b) other Government Departments they have been seconded; and what the timetable is for the task force to complete its work.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The team was initially set up with 20 staff members. The number of staff deployed to the team will be driven by the number of people that contact the Department for help. Additional experienced staff can be deployed from within the Department should the need arise.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what amount of compensation members of the Windrush generation are planned to be given for legal fees; and whether that compensation will be at a fixed rate.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government has committed to establishing a Windrush compensation scheme. We are listening to those affected, including through a recent Call for Evidence, which ended on 8 June. We are using that evidence to inform the scope and design of the scheme, including the kinds of loss for which compensation may be paid, and will launch a public consultation on those details shortly.
The Government has emphasised the importance of putting in place a scheme that works, quickly and carefully. As part of that process the Home Office is mindful of relevant guidance from HM Treasury and from the National Audit Office, which draws on the lessons learned from other compensation arrangements.
This process will also help us to understand the scope of the scheme and scale of funding required. The Home Office is in discussion with HM Treasury about all budgets, including any provision that is required for the Windrush compensation scheme.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to ensure that lessons learnt from the roll-out of previous Government compensation schemes will be taken into account in the roll-out of the Windrush compensation scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government has committed to establishing a Windrush compensation scheme. We are listening to those affected, including through a recent Call for Evidence, which ended on 8 June. We are using that evidence to inform the scope and design of the scheme, including the kinds of loss for which compensation may be paid, and will launch a public consultation on those details shortly.
The Government has emphasised the importance of putting in place a scheme that works, quickly and carefully. As part of that process the Home Office is mindful of relevant guidance from HM Treasury and from the National Audit Office, which draws on the lessons learned from other compensation arrangements.
This process will also help us to understand the scope of the scheme and scale of funding required. The Home Office is in discussion with HM Treasury about all budgets, including any provision that is required for the Windrush compensation scheme.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money his Department has provisionally allocated for the Windrush compensation scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government has committed to establishing a Windrush compensation scheme. We are listening to those affected, including through a recent Call for Evidence, which ended on 8 June. We are using that evidence to inform the scope and design of the scheme, including the kinds of loss for which compensation may be paid, and will launch a public consultation on those details shortly.
The Government has emphasised the importance of putting in place a scheme that works, quickly and carefully. As part of that process the Home Office is mindful of relevant guidance from HM Treasury and from the National Audit Office, which draws on the lessons learned from other compensation arrangements.
This process will also help us to understand the scope of the scheme and scale of funding required. The Home Office is in discussion with HM Treasury about all budgets, including any provision that is required for the Windrush compensation scheme.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether family members of people affected by the Government's hostile environment immigration policy will be included in the Windrush compensation scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The compensation scheme for those of the Windrush generation that might have been affected is in the process of being established. The call for evidence for that scheme ended on 8 June and the Home Office are now preparing to launch the next stage of consultation, working with affected communities.
The scheme will be set up as soon as possible after we have consulted on the design and scope of what should be included.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-Carribean-born Commonwealth citizens currently have cases with the Commonwealth Taskforce.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The vast majority of applications considered by the Taskforce are concluded within one day and the number of current cases with the Taskforce is subject to change on a daily basis.
It would not be cost or resource effective for the Department to provide a running commentary on cases currently with the Taskforce.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which third sector organisations will be working with her Department on the Windrush compensation scheme; and what their role in that process will be.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are exploring delivery options for the Windrush Compensation Scheme and how third sector or other organisations could help those affected to access the scheme. This will be subject to the results of a public consultation exercise on the compensation scheme, which will be published in due course, and normal procurement rules.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the redacted parts of the Windrush guidance following the recommendations of the Report of the Home Affairs Committee, the Windrush Generation, published on 3 July 2018, HC990.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are grateful to the Home Affairs Committee for its comprehensive report. All of the recommendations are being considered carefully and the Government will respond in due course.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2018 to Question 148604 on Immigration: Enforcement, what estimate he has made of the cost of providing information on the number of (a) Members of Parliament and (b) staff working for Members of Parliament that communicated on immigration enforcement hotlines during 2017; and which political parties they belonged to.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are now able to obtain the information within the cost limit. Of the 73 referrals from MPs received in 2017 34 were received from Conservative members, 32 from Labour, 1 from the Democratic Unionist Party and 1 from the Liberal Democrats. After closer scrutiny five reports were deemed not to have come from Members of Parliament.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Windrush cases has his Department (a) resolved and (b) not resolved within the two week target period.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Taskforce aims to complete cases within two weeks, some will fall outside due to complexity but the vast majority are done on the day.