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In a few minutes, the @CommonsPAC will be questioning @ukhomeoffice officials on a number of issues, including the #Windrush Compensation Scheme. You can watch live here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/a7ee0fab-3963-4785-9387-e96121885e11. We're tuned in and will be live-tweeting the questioning.
Home Office witnesses are: Matthew Rycroft (MR), Permanent Home Secretary; Charu Gorasia (CG), Director General for Capabilities and Resources; Joanna Davinson (JD), Data and Technology Officer. We suspect only MR will be speaking on the Windrush Compensation Scheme
Chairing the Committee is Labour MP Meg Hillier (MH) and in attendance is Labour MP Yvette Cooper (YC), Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee. We'll try get the names of other MPs asking questions right but bear with us.
Not on to Windrush questions yet.
We've just remembered that this is Twitter and we can tag the questioners, will try to do so.
Still not on to Windrush questions, but now the Committee talking about students wrongly accused of abusing student visas (apparently 30,000!) and how this demonstrates that Windrush lessons have not been learned (no sh*t we're minded to say here)
Apologies - it was on alleged cheating on language exams that meant the students could not receive student visas. Like with the Windrush Compensation Scheme, the burden of proof has been on the individual students who've had to go through costly and time-consuming appeals process
Still waiting for Windrush questions.
Here's an article on the language testing scandal FYI: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jul/09/mps-to-question-home-office-officials-over-english-tests-scandal Hostile Environment strikes again.
Still talking about the language testing scandal, but @MatthewRycroft1 says the following: "On the back of the Windrush Scandal, the Home Office is increasingly aware of the need to put people first". Wow. WOW.
Now moving on to Windrush. @Meg_HillierMP asks how making pro-active contact with Windrush victims from outside the Caribbean is going
She notes that this was an issue that affected ALL Commonwealth citizens, not just those from the Caribbean
. @MatthewRycroft1 says they're doing outreach etc. but can't give a ballpark figure of how many victims they have made contact with.
. @YvetteCooperMP asks for update on figures on payouts from Scheme. @MatthewRycroft1 says over £2million have been offered. @YvetteCooperMP asks to how many people that money has been offered to (an obvious question but MR does not have an answer to hand)
YC asks how much they expect to pay out in total, MR gives a range of £90m to £220m (I think)
YC asks why, then, they're on track to only pay out £10m-£20m at current rates and at current pay-out figures
. @YvetteCooperMP suggests there are two possible explanations for the discrepancy. 1) Only partial payments are being made and people are still waiting for their full awards
2) The gap between between those making macro-level assessments and those on the ground making the payments who are giving MUCH lower awards than the Home Office is outwardly saying they'll be giving.
. @YvetteCooperMP now discussing @Anthony24596's despicable treatment at the hands of the @ukhomeoffice who have only offered 1-years worth of compensation for the many years of lost employment Anthony suffered, along with all the other severe impacts on his life
. @MatthewRycroft1 offers up more dross on HOs generosity and willingness to listen to victims. That is not being borne out in any way by what we're hearing from Anthony or indeed any other people still waiting for compensation
This is perhaps a good point to bring your attention to this fundraiser for Anthony: https://www.gofundme.com/f/anthony-williams-windrush?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link-tip
. @MatthewRycroft1 says the HO needs some form of evidence to process claims, but @YvetteCooperMP reminds him that THEY HAVE THAT EVIDENCE in Anthony's case, and have accepted as much.
Final question @YvetteCooperMP: when do you expect 1/2 cases to have been resolved (currently just over 10%) given the age of those that have been affected? @MatthewRycroft1 doesn't have an answer... Apparently 100 staff members are working on the Scheme now. Not enough clearly
. @Meg_HillierMP asks how many interim payments have been made to date, i.e. a way of giving people some cash in the short term? @MatthewRycroft1 again has no precise amount or numbers
. @Meg_HillierMP notes that responsibility for housing Windrush victims has been placed on local authorities shoulder, who are struggling with huge housing shortages, has the HO considered taking responsibility for buying housing for victims?
. @MatthewRycroft1 "the HO can't magic out of thin air a solution to an issue that is out of our control" (a quite monumental deflection of responsibility)
. @Meg_HillierMP "These issues keep bouncing backwards and forwards and in the middle of this are individuals who have been left homeless through no fault of their own, who simply cannot keep waiting for a resolution"
That concludes the questioning on the Windrush Compensation Scheme. Our quick analysis: More platitudes, no clarity on numbers of claimants or payments, burden of proof still being shifted onto claimants, huge gap between rhetoric and action, constant deflection of responsibility
