Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what most recent information her Department holds on the number of people whose applications to the Windrush Compensation Scheme remain outstanding more than (a) two years, (b) 18 months and (c) 12 months after first submitting those applications.

Data on the number of claims received and the number of payment made is published as part of the regular transparency data release which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-march-2021.

Each person’s claim is deeply personal and requires careful and detailed consideration to understand their individual circumstances and experiences. There are thirteen different categories of claim and some individuals’ experiences are more complex than others and it is right we take the time to ensure these are considered carefully. We want people to receive the maximum compensation to which they are entitled and work closely with individuals, for example by contacting other government departments and third parties to help gather evidence to support their claim.

This holistic approach necessarily takes time but is ultimately beneficial to individuals. The average calendar days from the date the claim was received to a Full and Final payment date is 434, as at 31^st January 2021.

However, we recognise that we need to go further and faster which is why, following feedback from the Windrush Cross Government Working Group, members of the Windrush generation, community leaders and those affected, we have made fundamental improvements to the Scheme to ensure people receive significantly more money, more quickly. As we continue to make decisions on the oldest cases, we expect to see the time taken from application to final decision fall significantly in the coming months.