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<p><del class="ministerial">The number of cases being worked through the Windrush
Compensation Scheme as of 21 April are 1417. Of these 1417 cases:</del></p><ul><li><del
class="ministerial">281 have been in the process for 12-18 months;</del></li><li><del
class="ministerial">214 have been in the process for over 18 months;</del></li><li><del
class="ministerial">5 have been in the process for over 24 months.</del></li></ul><p><del
class="ministerial">Windrush Compensation Scheme staff continue to work hard to resolve
these claims from the moment they are received and individuals are provided with an
update on the progress of their claim on a monthly basis as a minimum, unless they
have requested otherwise. A case is finally closed when an individual accepts a final
offer or an application to the Scheme is unsuccessful as it does not meet the criteria.
All claims will have been considered for a preliminary payment of £10,000 within 6
weeks of eligibility being confirmed under the terms of the Scheme, including these
open applications. A preliminary payment is offered as soon as we receive the minimum
level of information required to show that they will be entitled to compensation under
the Scheme. Some of these people may also have received an urgent and exceptional
payment. This policy remains available for those who have an urgent and exceptional
need that cannot wait for a payment to be made under the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
As of 25 March 2021, the Scheme had offered 362 preliminary awards (totalling £3,620,000);
of which 255 (£2,550,000) had been accepted. 228 awards (£2,280,000) had been paid.</del></p><p><del
class="ministerial">That said, each person’s claim is deeply personal and requires
careful and detailed consideration to understand their individual circumstances and
experiences. There are 13 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.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">This holistic approach necessarily takes
time but is ultimately beneficial to individuals.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">Data
on the number of claims received and the number of payments made is published as part
of the regular transparency data release which can be found here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fwindrush-compensation-scheme-data-march-2021&data=04%7C01%7CAmanda.Meyer%40homeoffice.gov.uk%7C435d7f9da39040a9d31b08d90b09b810%7Cf24d93ecb2914192a08af182245945c2%7C0%7C0%7C637552958628096252%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=mGhyw4lqbprD0uOnqrgELdRUWDBjtmDbXxRlxjYhC4s%3D&reserved=0"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-march-2021</a>.</del></p><p>
</p><p><del class="ministerial">Since April 2019 the Scheme has paid or offered £18
million. Of this, more than £6.1 million have been accepted and paid, an increase
of £2 million in one month.</del></p><p><del class="ministerial">We have made fundamental
improvements to the Scheme to ensure people receive significantly more money, more
quickly. We increased the value of awards for impact on life at every level so everyone
will be paid more in this category, with the maximum award increasing from £10,000
to £100,000 (with options for even higher awards in exceptional circumstances).</del></p><p>
</p><p><del class="ministerial">Within six weeks of these changes, we had offered
more than we had in the first 19 months of the scheme (at the end of January we had
offered £12m) and since the end of December we have more than doubled the amount of
compensation paid to individuals (from £2.8m to £6.1m).</del></p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">In
December 2018, the Home Office established an Urgent and Exceptional Payments process
for those members of the Windrush generation who had an urgent and exceptional need
in advance of the Windrush Compensation Scheme. The process remains open for those
who need it. The total value of the payments approved as of 29 March 2021 is £104,338.58.</del></p><p>
</p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em>It is very regrettable that a claimant passes
away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them. </em></ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial"><em> </em></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em>The Windrush
Compensation Scheme staff are working hard to ensure that where they are aware of
claimants with critical or life shortening illnesses, that their cases are prioritised.</em></ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial"><em> </em></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em>In the deeply
unfortunate circumstances where a claimant has passed away after submitting a compensation
claim, but before the claim is fully resolved, the team continues to work closely
with the appointed representative,</em> <em>usually members of the family, to ensure
the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible to that family member.</em></ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial"><em> </em></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em>Out of the
1,996 applications made to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, we are aware of 21 cases
to date where unfortunately the claimant has passed away after having submitted a
claim but before receiving compensation. We are working closely with the families
and legal representatives to determine the right person to whom the compensation can
be paid as quickly as possible. </em></ins></p><p><ins class="ministerial"><em> </em></ins></p><p><ins
class="ministerial"><em>It must be noted that this data is manually recorded and is
reliant on the person receiving the information on an applicant notifying the Windrush
Compensation Scheme to record this information. The data isn’t recorded in a reportable
field in the casework system.</em></ins></p><p> </p>
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