It is very regrettable that a claimant passes away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them.

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.

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, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible to that family member.

Out of the 3022 applications made to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, we are aware of 24 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.

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.

The number of cases being worked through the Windrush Compensation Scheme as of 21 April are 1417. Of these 1417 cases:

• 281 have been in the process for 12-18 months;
• 214 have been in the process for over 18 months;
• 5 have been in the process for over 24 months.

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.

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.

This holistic approach necessarily takes time but is ultimately beneficial to individuals.

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: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-march-2021.

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.

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).

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).

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.

Representatives of the estate of affected individuals who have sadly passed away can claim compensation. Close family members of an eligible primary claimant, including in cases where the primary claimant has died, can also make a claim for compensation in their own right. Guidance and claim forms are available on GOV.UK.

The specific information requested on the number of Windrush Scheme overseas applicants who had passed away before the application process was completed is not included in statistical data published by the Home Office.

The Home Secretary provides updates to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the work of the department in connection with Windrush.

The updates can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/correspondence-on-the-work-of-the-home-office-windrush.

Where individuals sadly pass away before their claim under the Windrush Compensation Scheme is fully determined and paid, the Home Office will work with their families to ensure compensation is still paid out.

Representatives of the estate of affected individuals who have sadly passed away can claim compensation. Close family members of an eligible primary claimant, including in cases where the primary claimant has died, can also make a claim for compensation in their own right. Guidance and claim forms are available on GOV.UK

The specific information requested on the number of Windrush Scheme overseas applicants who had passed away before the application process was completed is not included in statistical data published by the Home Office.

The Home Secretary provides updates to the Home Affairs Select Committee on the work of the department in connection with Windrush.

The updates can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/correspondence-on-the-work-of-the-home-office-windrush.

Non-casework staff that supported the Covid Helpline included team members with specific call centre expertise and experienced call handlers. The former supported the team for a short period to set up the Helpline, including call centre systems, management data production and development of tools for call handlers. These team members were not reassigned to the Covid Helpline. Experienced Call handlers were reassigned to the team and supported the training and mentoring of new team members and receipt of customer calls.

The redeployment had minimal impact on performance as team members had been upskilled to undertake a variety of duties across the team so that work could be prioritised. Intake on claims and calls was lower than forecast which enabled the support to be agreed. The support was reviewed in line with intake and team members were returned to the team in a staged process to ensure that both areas had the resource that they required.

We are aware of nine unfortunate cases to date where the claimant has passed away since January 2019, of which one claim received a final decision.

Representatives of the estate of affected individuals who have sadly passed away can claim compensation. Close family members of an eligible primary claimant, including in cases where the primary claimant has died, can also make a claim for compensation in their own right. Guidance and claim forms are available on GOV.UK

Of the 42 overseas cases reported as withdrawn in the October 2019 update to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Home Office is aware of two individuals who had sadly passed away.

Representatives of the estate of affected individuals who have sadly passed away can claim compensation. Close family members of an eligible primary claimant, including in cases where the primary claimant has died, can also make a claim for compensation in their own right. Guidance and claim forms are available on GOV.UK

Of the 42 overseas cases reported as withdrawn in the October 2019 update to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the Home Office is aware of two individuals who had sadly passed away.

It is hugely regrettable that a claimant passes away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them.

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.

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, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible.

We are aware of five unfortunate cases to date where 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.

To help family members during this distressing time, we have provided links to Government websites that provide information on how to deal with bereavement and we have offered assistance from our claim’s assistance provider Citizens Advice which is well versed in dealing with the financial implications of bereavement.

It is hugely regrettable that a claimant passes away before a compensation award can be made or an apology sent to them.

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.

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, usually members of the family, to ensure the compensation payment is made as quickly as possible.

We are aware of five unfortunate cases to date where 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.

To help family members during this distressing time, we have provided links to Government websites that provide information on how to deal with bereavement and we have offered assistance from our claim’s assistance provider Citizens Advice which is well versed in dealing with the financial implications of bereavement.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department has no plans to collect this data.

There are no plans to publish such information.

When his Department next plans to publish information on people who have died after undergoing work capability assessments.

That is a source of great regret. A recent study by Liverpool and Oxford universities concluded that 590 suicides were linked to work capability assessments. When will the Department stop hiding behind excuses and publish the information that we seek, so that we can examine the effect of the claimant system on suicide rates?

The department is unable to comment on individual cases.

The information requested is not collected.

The information as requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information as requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

We are committed to ensuring the WCA operates as effectively as possible. Our commitment to this is evidenced by the fact that we have conducted a Department-led review, an evidenced based review and 5 independent reviews.