Following investigations by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, victims of the Windrush scandal who were wrongly denied payment through the Home Office compensation scheme have been awarded over £400,000. A new report, which followed 46 complaints about the scheme to the PHSO since 2021, highlights that the scheme sometimes failed to look at all the evidence provided and some victims were wrongly told they were ineligible for compensation. The Home Office has claimed that it is committed to rectifying the unfairness caused by the Windrush scandal and to ensuring that victims receive compensation they deservedly qualify for.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme had paid out £93.58m across 2,634 claims up to the end of July 2024. However, the PHSO report reveals that other victims were unfairly affected by the scheme’s rules. PHSO Rebecca Hilsenrath said: “The Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up to right the wrongs of a scandal that inflicted harm on very many people. But our evidence shows that further harm and injustice are still being caused by failings in the way the scheme is working. We found recurrent reasons for this, suggesting these were not one-off issues but systemic problems.”
Some of the complaints are still under review, but so far, the PHSO has helped secure a total of £432,592 for victims who were previously wrongly denied compensation. The PHSO is now calling for the Home Office to review and revamp the scheme, to support Windrush victims and their families better.
In 2018, it emerged that the UK government had unjustly classified thousands of people, mostly from the Caribbean, as illegal immigrants. The Windrush Compensation Scheme was created specifically to address the injustices caused by the scandal. About 15,000 people were thought to be eligible for the scheme. Despite its creation, the scheme has faced criticism over processing delays, low offers, and unfair rejections. The Home Affairs Committee of MPs found in 2021 that the scheme had itself become a source of trauma for eligible victims. However, the Home Office affirms that it will ensure that Windrush victims are heard and that the compensation scheme will be efficiently delivered
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