Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon scandal redress: Unfinished business
Business and Trade Committee
HC 341
Published 1 January 2025
Recommendations
1
Accepted in Part
Remove Post Office Ltd entirely from administering the Horizon Shortfall Scheme.
Recommendation
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 …
Read more
Government Response 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 action on fixed sum offers and provides updates in the interim.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
2
Accepted in Part
Transfer complex Horizon Shortfall Scheme claims to the Department for Business and Trade.
Recommendation
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 …
Read more
Government Response 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 swift action on fixed sum offers, automating processing, and provides regular updates.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
5
Accepted in Part
Resource the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Independent Panel to meet full-time.
Recommendation
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 …
Read more
Government Response 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.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
8
Accepted in Part
Establish independent facilitator to assess reasonableness of Horizon Shortfall Scheme information requests.
Recommendation
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 …
Read more
Government Response 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 top-end of indicative limits, but states DBT ensures a fair and consistent approach, and an appeals process is being established.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
9
Accepted in Part
Direct disputed Horizon Shortfall Scheme first offers to external mediation, bypassing the Panel.
Recommendation
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)
Read more
Government Response 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.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →
11
Accepted in Part
Introduce binding timeframes for Group Litigation Order claims, with financial penalties for delays.
Recommendation
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 …
Read more
Government Response 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.
Department for Business and Trade
View Details →