Recommendations & Conclusions
6 items
1
Recommendation
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc…
Accepted in Part
Despite repeated criticism from this Committee, Post Office Ltd is still in charge of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. While the Committee welcomes that the appeals process will be administered by the Department for Business and Trade, swift action must be taken to deal with the thousands of claimants who still …
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Despite repeated criticism from this Committee, Post Office Ltd is still in charge of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. While the Committee welcomes that the appeals process will be administered by the Department for Business and Trade, swift action must be taken to deal with the thousands of claimants who still have not been given the redress that is owed to them. Sub-postmasters do not want Post Office Ltd to deal with redress and neither does Post Office Ltd itself. Post Office Ltd should not be deciding on what financial redress is owed to victims of its own scandal. The Government must finish the job in hand and remove Post Office Ltd from the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. (Recommendation, Paragraph 10)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepted, confirming the Department for Business and Trade will take over the Overturned Convictions scheme from 3 June. For the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), they will decide on taking over administration in Spring 2025 but will ensure the Post Office takes swift …
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Department for Business and Trade
2
Recommendation
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc…
Accepted in Part
If the Government is not able to do this for all claims in a timely way, Post Office Ltd must in the first instance transfer complex cases—that is, cases that are going through full assessment—for the Department to administer. For claimants who choose to take the fixed sum offer, Post …
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If the Government is not able to do this for all claims in a timely way, Post Office Ltd must in the first instance transfer complex cases—that is, cases that are going through full assessment—for the Department to administer. For claimants who choose to take the fixed sum offer, Post Office Ltd must continue to take swift action and find solutions to automate case processing. Post Office Ltd should provide regular updates to the Committee on the progress of this. (Recommendation, Paragraph 11)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepted, confirming the Department for Business and Trade will take over the Overturned Convictions scheme from 3 June. For the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), they will decide on taking over complex cases in Spring 2025 but will ensure the Post Office takes …
Read full response →
Department for Business and Trade
5
Recommendation
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc…
Accepted in Part
The Committee has learned that it will take around 18 months for the Independent Panel to assess outstanding claims on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. We have also learned that the Post Office are expecting thousands 24 of new cases to come forward. A panel central to the process that assesses …
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The Committee has learned that it will take around 18 months for the Independent Panel to assess outstanding claims on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. We have also learned that the Post Office are expecting thousands 24 of new cases to come forward. A panel central to the process that assesses all claims meeting twice a week will not deliver swift justice for sub-postmasters. The Independent Panel must be resourced to meet full time until the majority of first offers have been issued. (Recommendation, Paragraph 22)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepted the recommendation, stating the Post Office is increasing Independent Panel resources to reflect the workload and streamlining all parts of the Horizon Shortfall Scheme process, including increasing operational resources, to accelerate redress.
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Department for Business and Trade
8
Recommendation
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc…
Accepted in Part
Requests for information under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme should only be made where it is deemed reasonable to increase the offer value to claimants, or in the rare instance where there may be reasonable concern about a claim’s basis of calculation. Where redress offers are calculated in-line with indicative bands …
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Requests for information under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme should only be made where it is deemed reasonable to increase the offer value to claimants, or in the rare instance where there may be reasonable concern about a claim’s basis of calculation. Where redress offers are calculated in-line with indicative bands or redress guidelines, we recommend that offers should be made at or above the top-end of such indicative limits. An independent case facilitator should be established with a role—on appeal by claimant representatives—in swiftly considering whether a request for information is reasonable for the above purposes. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepted the recommendation, agreeing that requests for information (RFIs) aim to increase compensation and will work with the Post Office to ensure they are necessary and handled sensitively, accommodating evidential difficulties. They did not commit to making offers at or above the …
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Department for Business and Trade
9
Recommendation
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc…
Accepted in Part
The Independent Panel on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme is already backlogged. To keep cases moving, disputed first offers to claimants must not be reassessed by the Independent Panel but instead move straight into external mediation. (Recommendation, Paragraph 36)
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The Independent Panel on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme is already backlogged. To keep cases moving, disputed first offers to claimants must not be reassessed by the Independent Panel but instead move straight into external mediation. (Recommendation, Paragraph 36)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepts, agreeing to internal reassessment by the Post Office where possible, aiming for bilateral settlements, with claimants retaining the option for independent mediation if no agreement is reached.
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Department for Business and Trade
11
Recommendation
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon sc…
Accepted in Part
The Committee welcomes that the majority of first offers for the Group Litigation Order Scheme will be complete by March 2025. This, however, does not address the time it takes between first offer and final payment. Sub-postmasters have waited long enough. The Government should aim wherever possible to complete Group …
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The Committee welcomes that the majority of first offers for the Group Litigation Order Scheme will be complete by March 2025. This, however, does not address the time it takes between first offer and final payment. Sub-postmasters have waited long enough. The Government should aim wherever possible to complete Group Litigation Order redress claims by March 2025 as suggested to us in evidence from Sir Alan Bates. We know that this will not be possible for some claims due to the complexity of the claim or the vulnerability of claimants, so the Government must introduce binding timeframes at each stage of Group Litigation Order Scheme, with financial penalties awarded to the claimant if these timeframes are not met. As with the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, timeframes should only be imposed on the Government side, giving the sub-postmaster ample time to consider their position. (Recommendation, Paragraph 43)
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Government response AI summary
The government partially accepts, committing to make redress offers for 90% of completed claims within 40 working days and aiming to pay substantial redress to the majority of GLO members by 31 March, but does not commit to binding timeframes with financial penalties.
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Department for Business and Trade