Post Office Horizon scandal: fast and fair redress
Business and Trade Committee
Closed
Non-inquiry session
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 …
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17
Recommendations
1
Report
2
Oral sessions
16
Letters
2
Events
Activity timeline 23 events
15 Oct
2025
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23 Jul
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15 Jul
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8 Jul
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12 Jun
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12 Jun
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6 May
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22 Apr
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10 Apr
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25 Mar
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25 Feb
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Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
19 Nov 2024
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BTC questions Government ministers on redress failures in “biggest miscarriage of justice in UK history”
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
5 Nov 2024
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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
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Report - Post Office and Horizon scandal redress: Unfinished… | HC 341 | 1 Jan 2025 | 17 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
4
Recommendation
Accepted
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
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 …
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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
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6
Recommendation
Accepted
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
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 …
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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
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17
Recommendation
Accepted
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
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 …
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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
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Correspondence 16 letters
15 Oct 2025
To committee
Letter from Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation relating to the Department's response to Vol.1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Report, 9 October 2025
Parliament page
23 Jul 2025
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to the performance of the Horizon redress schemes, 21 July 2025
Parliament page
15 Jul 2025
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to the publication of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Report, 8 July 2025
Parliament page
8 Jul 2025
From committee
Letter to the Secretary of State relating to publication of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s final report volume one, 8 July 2025
Parliament page
12 Jun 2025
From committee
Letter to the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to improving the Post Office Horizon redress process, 10 June 2025
Parliament page
6 May 2025
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to an update on correspondence, 22 April 2025
Parliament page
22 Apr 2025
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to HSS appeals process update, 8 April 2025
Parliament page
10 Apr 2025
From committee
Letter to the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to Post Office Horizon redress schemes, 10 April 2025
Parliament page
25 Feb 2025
To committee
Letter from the Post Office relating to the Committee's first report of session on the Post Office and Horizon Scandal Redress, 11 February 2025
Parliament page
7 Jan 2025
To committee
Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to and update on Post Office Horizon redress and costs, 19 December 2024
Parliament page
7 Jan 2025
To committee
Letter from the Director of the Courts, Criminal and Family Justice Directorate relating to data correction from Post Office evidence session, 20 December 2024
Parliament page
7 Jan 2025
To committee
Letter from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP relating to Post Office redress, 17 December 2024
Parliament page
10 Dec 2024
To committee
Letter from the Remediation Unit Director at the Post Office relating to issues raised in Committee session, 2 December 2024
Parliament page
19 Nov 2024
To committee
Letter from the Interim Chair of the Post Office relating to the future of the Post Office, 13 November 2024
Parliament page
30 Oct 2024
To committee
Letter from the Secretary of State relating to Post Office Horizon compensation, 9 September 2024
Parliament page
30 Oct 2024
To committee
Letter from the Secretary of State relating to the launch of the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme, 30 July 2024
Parliament page