Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
11th Report - Excess votes 2023-24
Published 26 Feb 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Excess votes 2023-24 All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, between its launch on 1 May 2020 and its closure to new applicants in March 2021, the Post Office received 2,417 eligible scheme applications. In October 2022, the government announced that additional funding would be provided so that eligible claimants could receive financial redress and the scheme re–opened for applications. Then, on 13 March 2024, the Government announced that a £75,000 Fixed Sum Award would be available as a voluntary option to individuals in the scheme.
From: Public Accounts Committee, 11th Report - Excess votes 2023-24 (HC 719), 26 February 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 May 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with each of the Committee's recommendations on the 2023-24 excesses and states that each has been implemented, in March 2025.
- On the excesses at the Electoral Commission, Ofqual and the Department for Business and Trade, the excess votes were included in the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2025, which "received Royal Assent on 11 March 2025".
- The Electoral Commission attributes its overspend to an error in a technical accounting judgement relating to IFRS 16 on new leases, and says it has increased finance team capacity, updated processes and provided additional training.
- On IFRS 16 guidance, HM Treasury says it linked guidance in the 2025-26 Main Estimates technical paper, and has "committed" to its Financial Reporting Advisory Board that it will do a post implementation review of IFRS 16 for central government.
- On the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, the Department for Business and Trade says evidence supporting the reasonableness of cost estimates "will be disclosed as part of the department's annual report and accounts (ARA) for 2024-25", and notes "considerable uncertainty" over total costs.