Post Office to engage in negotiations during HSSA appeal period
Post Office Horizon Inquiry · Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: Final Report · Issued 8 July 2025 · Addressed to: Post Office Ltd, Department for Business and Trade
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
During the nine-month period afforded to claimants to submit an appeal to the Department in HSSA, the Post Office shall engage in negotiations and/or mediation with any claimants who notify the Post Office of a desire to seek a negotiated or mediated settlement of their claim.
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 with a modified implementation: a three-month notification deadline for claimants to indicate intent to appeal, rather than the nine-month period recommended, with the Post Office engaging in good faith meetings and mediation during this period (Government response to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report (volume 1), DBT, 9 October 2025).
- The Business and Trade Select Committee noted the modified implementation (Business and Trade Select Committee evidence session, January 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●Department for Business and Trade
Department for Business and Trade accepts this recommendation. Rather than a 9-month period, DBT has implemented a 3-month notification deadline for claimants to indicate their intent to appeal, with subsequent deadlines for submission of full papers. During this period, Post Office will engage in good faith negotiations and/or mediation with any claimants who notify of a desire to seek a negotiated or mediated settlement. Escalation meetings are available where agreement cannot be reached.
Department for Business and Trade · 9 Oct 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 2 Mar 2026 In light of concerns raised by claimants' representatives, DBT had agreed prior to the publication of the Inquiry report that instead of a 9 month period for claimants to submit a full appeal, there should be a 3 month deadline to notify DBT of an intention to appeal. There will then be a further deadline for the submission of a full claim within six months of full disclosure being received from Post Office. DBT has applied the recommendation as fully as possible in the new context. Claimants will therefore be able to engage in Good Faith or Escalation Meetings with the Post Office during the 3 month period whilst they decide whether to register for HSSA. More information about the timelines for registration can be found in table 1 of the eligibility section of the HSS Appeals guidance and principles https://www.gov.uk/guidance/horizon-shortfall-scheme-appeals-process-guidance-and-principles#eligibility 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 →
- 6 Jan 2026 · Business and Trade Select Committee Business and Trade Select Committee noted the government implemented a 3-month notification deadline rather than the 9-month appeal period recommended. The committee questioned whether this gave claimants sufficient time to consider their options before committing. View source → Reasonable Progress
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.