Allow HSS Fixed Sum acceptors to appeal with independent permission
Post Office Horizon Inquiry · Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: Final Report · Issued 8 July 2025 · Addressed to: Department for Business and Trade
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Department following consultation with the Advisory Board, claimants' representatives and any other persons or bodies it thinks appropriate, shall give urgent consideration to whether claimants who have accepted the Fixed Sum Offer in HSS should be afforded the opportunity to appeal against their acceptance of such an offer if they are granted permission so to do. If a right of appeal with permission is introduced, the issue of permission to pursue such an appeal must be considered by a person who is wholly independent of the Department and the Post Office.
Post Office Horizon Inquiry, Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: Final Report · 8 Jul 2025 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation on 9 October 2025, stating that Fixed Sum Offer acceptors would have the opportunity to seek permission to appeal through the Independent Reviewer in the HSSA scheme (Government response to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report (volume 1), DBT, 9 October 2025).
- The Business and Trade Select Committee noted the HSSA appeals mechanism exists and is functioning (Business and Trade Select Committee evidence session, January 2026).
- The Business and Trade Committee report HC 1598 found that the HSSA appeals process had effectively become a necessary second step because HSS offers are routinely undervalued (Business and Trade Committee, HC 1598, March 2026).
- The Department for Business and Trade announced that Fixed Sum Offer claimants would be able to seek permission to appeal through a new process due to launch later in 2026, and stated that the process responds to recommendation 9 (Fixed Sum Appeals and Shortfall Evidence Processes, DBT, 20 May 2026).
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Response — verbatim from government
●Department for Business and Trade
Department for Business and Trade accepts this recommendation. Following consultation with the Advisory Board, claimants' representatives and other relevant parties, claimants who have accepted the Fixed Sum Offer in HSS will have the opportunity to request permission to appeal against their acceptance. The independent HSSA reviewer (yet to be appointed) will consider applications for permission to appeal. DBT is finalising the scope and criteria for such appeals in consultation with stakeholders.
Department for Business and Trade · 9 Oct 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 20 May 2026 · Department for Business and Trade Postmasters affected by the Horizon scandal who have accepted a £75,000 Fixed Sum Offer (FSO) and believe they were owed more will be able to seek permission to appeal through a new process set to launch later this year. Those who take part will be able to seek permission from an independent person to appeal their FSO award in the HSS Appeals process. Claimants will be able to receive free legal advice and support, and crucially will not risk being paid less that the £75,000 they have already received. The process will be as light touch as possible to minimise burden on claimants. Applicants will make their application by submitting a concise explanation in writing and will not be required to submit supporting evidence unless they wish to. This process responds to Recommendation 9 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Volume 1 report, published in July 2025, which the Government accepted in its October 2025 response. Source →
- 2 Mar 2026 DBT has committed to providing an opportunity for claimants who previously accepted the Fixed Sum Offer in HSS to ask an independent person for permission to appeal their award in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) scheme. Fully funded legal advice will be available to these claimants. DBT has engaged with stakeholders including the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, claimants' representatives and postmaster organisations and have incorporated their views into the development of the process. We aim to publish further information on the process, including eligibility criteria and how to apply on GOV.UK soon. Source →
- 31 Jan 2026 Verification: Government published formal response to Volume 1 recommendations on 13 October 2025, accepting 17 of 18 recommendations. Total compensation paid across all schemes: £1.38 billion as of December 2025. Volume 2 of Final Report expected 2026. Source →
- 13 Mar 2026 · Business and Trade Committee HC 1598 HC 1598 noted the HSSA appeals mechanism exists and is functioning, but has effectively become a necessary second step because HSS offers are routinely undervalued. The committee heard that claimants who proceed through both HSS and HSSA wait two to three years for redress. View source → Reasonable Progress
- 6 Jan 2026 · Business and Trade Select Committee Business and Trade Select Committee noted that HSS claimants who accepted the Fixed Sum Offer would have the opportunity to ask the Independent Reviewer to reconsider their award. View source → Confirmed Completed
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.