Select Committee · Business and Trade Committee

Post Office Horizon scandal: fast and fair redress

Status: Closed Opened: 29 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 Dec 2025 17 recommendations 1 report

We are running a short inquiry on financial redress in the Post Office Horizon scandal, focused on “fast and fair redress” for victims of what has been described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history. In a scandal reaching back over two decades, postmasters who run individual post office branches experienced difficulties with …

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon scandal redress: Unfin…	HC 341	1 Jan 2025	17	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items

4 Recommendation 1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc… Accepted

Instruct Post Office Ltd and Herbert Smith Freehills to simplify and accelerate claims settlement.

The gold-plated legalistic process of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme is not best value for the public purse. The Government should therefore ensure that Herbert Smith Freehills and Post Office Ltd are instructed to use best endeavours to simplify and accelerate the settlement of claims. (Recommendation, Paragraph 18)

Government response. The government agreed with the recommendation, stating they have already advised the Post Office and HSF to simplify and accelerate claims and continue to reiterate this importance through governance.

Department for Business and Trade

6 Recommendation 1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc… Accepted

Establish an empowered case facilitator role for Horizon Shortfall Scheme claimants.

Claimants under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme lack the same access to authoritative facilitation and case management direction available to claimants in other schemes. This can be remedied by introducing an empowered case facilitator similar to the role played by the Sir Gary Hickinbottom for Overturned Convictions. We recommend that the …

Government response. The government accepted the recommendation, stating the Post Office is committed to exploring the appointment of a case manager for the HSS, and the government will appoint one for the HSS Appeals process and remaining HSS Dispute Resolution Process cases.

Department for Business and Trade

17 Recommendation 1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc… Accepted

Publish clear, regular transparency report detailing external legal costs across all redress schemes.

The Department should publish a regular transparency report detailing external legal costs incurred under all schemes. It is important that the report is produced in a manner that minimises the potential for wider confusion about the basis under which legal costs are billed, distinguishing the cost of disbursements incurred by …

Government response. The government commits to publishing a quarterly transparency report detailing external legal costs on gov.uk, building on previous updates provided to the Committee.

Department for Business and Trade

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions

Date	Witnesses
19 Nov 2024	Alan Watts · Herbert Smith Freehills, Carl Creswell · Department for Business and Trade, Ed Lidington · Ministry of Justice, Gareth Thomas MP · Department for Business and Trade, Heidi Alexander · Ministry of Justice, Mark Chesher · Addleshaw Goddard, Nigel Railton · Post Office Ltd, Rob Francis · Dentons, Simon Recaldin · Post Office	View ↗
5 Nov 2024	David Enright · Howe & Co Solicitors, Dewi Lewis, Dr Neil Hudgell · Hudgell Solicitors, James Hartley · Freeths, Jill Donnison, Sir Alan Bates · Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, The Rt. Hon. Sir Gary Hickinbottom PC · Post Office Overturned Convictions Independent Pecuniary Assessment Panel	View ↗

Correspondence

16 letters

Date	Direction	Title
15 Oct 2025	To cttee	Letter from Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation relating to…
23 Jul 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to t…
15 Jul 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to t…
8 Jul 2025	From cttee	Letter to the Secretary of State relating to publication of the Post Office Hor…
12 Jun 2025	From cttee	Letter to the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to imp…
6 May 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to a…
22 Apr 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to H…
10 Apr 2025	From cttee	Letter to the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to Pos…
25 Feb 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Post Office relating to the Committee's first report of session…
7 Jan 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Director of the Courts, Criminal and Family Justice Directorate…
7 Jan 2025	To cttee	Letter from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP relating to Post Office redress, 17 Dec…
7 Jan 2025	To cttee	Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to a…
10 Dec 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Remediation Unit Director at the Post Office relating to issues…
19 Nov 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Interim Chair of the Post Office relating to the future of the …
30 Oct 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Secretary of State relating to the launch of the Horizon Convic…
30 Oct 2024	To cttee	Letter from the Secretary of State relating to Post Office Horizon compensation…