KINGSTON, Jamaica — UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed that 21 Windrush scandal victims who submitted claims, died before receiving compensation.

Patel was responding on April 29 to a House of Commons written question from SNP MP Stuart McDonald.

According to a Yahoo! News report, Patel said: “We are aware of 21 cases to date where unfortunately the claimant has passed away after having submitted a claim but before receiving compensation.” A total of 1996 applications were submitted.

The report noted that the Windrush compensation scheme has been criticised for slow processing times. It said more than 200 applicants have been waiting for over 18 months for compensation.

But Patel was quoted as saying, “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.”

The home secretary added that staff are “working hard to ensure that where they are aware of claimants with critical or life shortening illnesses, that their cases are prioritised”, the report said.

Earlier this year, Paulette Wilson — a 64-year-old Windrush campaigner who went to Britain from Jamaica at 10 years old — died weeks after delivering a petition to Downing Street calling for action to address the failings that led to the scandal and to demand swift compensation for victims, the report said.

The Windrush compensation scheme was set up in 2019 following the 2018 Windrush scandal where British citizens who emigrated from the Caribbean were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in Britain.