Recommendations & Conclusions
3 items
5
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Windrush Compensati…
Not Addressed
The National Audit Office report noted that for claims received after March 2020 (the only data for which the Department had detailed process data) only 10% (102 claims) had reached payment approval stage. These 102 claims took on average 177 days to reach payment approval, with half of the cases …
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The National Audit Office report noted that for claims received after March 2020 (the only data for which the Department had detailed process data) only 10% (102 claims) had reached payment approval stage. These 102 claims took on average 177 days to reach payment approval, with half of the cases requiring between 109 and 250 days. These figures excluded older cases which may have taken longer.10 The Department explained that cases often took significant amounts of time because of the need to obtain supporting 1 C&AG’s Report, Investigation into the Windrush Compensation Scheme, Session 2021–21, HC 65, 21 May 2021 2 C&AG’s Report, para 1 3 C&AG’s Report, para 1 4 C&AG’s Report, para 2 5 C&AG’s Report, para 4.2 6 Q27, 29 7 Windrush Compensation Scheme data: May 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), accessed 29 June 2021 8 Qq 27–28, 36–37 9 Q 29 10 C&AG’s Report, para 4.9 8 Windrush Compensation Scheme information from other government departments but recognised it took a long time to ‘get going’ on claims.11 In April 2021, the Department announced that 21 people had died after submitting a claim but before receiving compensation.12 We questioned, therefore, whether there had been sufficient urgency to make changes given that people were dying while waiting for the completion of their claims.13
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Government response AI summary
The government's response is entirely focused on BBC audience decline and does not address the committee's conclusion regarding delays and deaths within the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
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HM Treasury
13
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Windrush Compensati…
The Department told us it wanted to ensure all those potentially eligible to apply to the scheme could do so.47 This committee recommended in March 2019 that the Department extend its historical reviews “beyond Caribbean Commonwealth nationals to include other Commonwealth nationals who may have been wrongfully detained, removed or …
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The Department told us it wanted to ensure all those potentially eligible to apply to the scheme could do so.47 This committee recommended in March 2019 that the Department extend its historical reviews “beyond Caribbean Commonwealth nationals to include other Commonwealth nationals who may have been wrongfully detained, removed or sanctioned under the compliant environment”. But, in June 2019, the Department rejected this recommendation and referred to it having already ‘conducted extensive outreach’ to raise awareness.48 Despite the Department’s apparent efforts, The National Audit Office reported in May 2021 that, in a survey by the Department, more than half of respondents 35 Q 72 36 Qq 72–73 37 Qq 23, 33 38 Qq 25, 29, 43, 49, 53, 57, 60 39 Qq 19–20, 68 40 Qq 18–19 41 Qq 18–19 42 Q 25 43 C&AG’s Report, para 9 44 C&AG’s Report, para 1.11 45 Q 25 (although the department stated 2,369, we understand it would have meant 2,367, which was the latest figure at the time according to Windrush Compensation Scheme data: May 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), accessed 29 June 2021) 46 Windrush Compensation Scheme data: May 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), accessed 29 June 2021 47 Qq 46, 49 48 HM Treasury, Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Eighty-Second and the Eighty- Sixth to the Ninety-Second reports from Session 2017–19, CP 113, June 2019 Windrush Compensation Scheme 11 thought the scheme was relevant only to those from the Caribbean.49 We heard that the Department had started its community fund to support outreach work only in December 2020, and therefore asked why there had been such a delay.50 The Department recognised that, in hindsight, it ‘could have been quicker off the mark’ with its efforts to engage with other affected communities.51 It assured us it was actively looking to ensure it promoted the scheme across a broader range of communities, such as those from South Asia and West Africa, through its outreach events and community fund.52 The Dep
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HM Treasury
16
Conclusion
Fourteenth Report - Windrush Compensati…
Not Addressed
The Department told us it has a lengthy and comprehensive training course for caseworkers followed by mentoring to ensure that caseworkers formulate awards accurately.63 The National Audit Office noted that, as of March 2021, the Department was aware of six overpayments, totalling £38,292 in value.64 Based on a review of …
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The Department told us it has a lengthy and comprehensive training course for caseworkers followed by mentoring to ensure that caseworkers formulate awards accurately.63 The National Audit Office noted that, as of March 2021, the Department was aware of six overpayments, totalling £38,292 in value.64 Based on a review of a small 49 C&AG’s Report para 2.7 50 Qq 46–48 51 Qq 47–48 52 Q 46 53 Q 46 54 Q 29 55 C&AG’s Report, para 4.4 56 Q 31 57 Qq 29, 31, 55 58 Q 52, C&AG’s Report, para 4.3 59 Q 52 60 C&AG’s Report, para 4.3 61 Q 30 62 Qq 66–68 63 Q 54 64 C&AG’s Report, para 4.17 12 Windrush Compensation Scheme sample of casework, the National Audit Office found that the Department’s quality assurance processes are not picking up all errors.65 It also reported that the scheme’s quality assurance managers return more than half of claims they review to a caseworker for further work.66 The Department said that this was sometimes because not everything had been done to maximise compensation for the claimant, but acknowledged it wants to reduce the number of cases returned to caseworkers.67 The Department told us it is reviewing its guidance and processes for its relatively junior caseworkers to make them simpler and reduce the risk of making errors.68
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Government response AI summary
The government states its commitment to ensuring caseworkers are equipped and that staff complete training courses, but does not specifically address the committee's observations regarding errors in compensation awards or the effectiveness of quality assurance processes in picking up errors.
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HM Treasury