Post Office Horizon scandal: fast and fair redress

Business and Trade Committee Closed Non-inquiry session
Opened: 29 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 Dec 2025 Parliament page
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 … Read more
17 Recommendations
1 Report
2 Oral sessions
16 Letters
2 Events
Activity timeline 23 events
15 Oct
2025
Correspondence
23 Jul
2025
Correspondence
15 Jul
2025
Correspondence
8 Jul
2025
Correspondence
12 Jun
2025
Report published
12 Jun
2025
Correspondence
6 May
2025
Correspondence
22 Apr
2025
Correspondence
10 Apr
2025
Correspondence
25 Mar
2025
Report published
25 Feb
2025
Correspondence
7 Jan
2025
Correspondence
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
Title HC No. Published Items Response
1st Report - Post Office and Horizon scandal redress: Unfinished… HC 341 1 Jan 2025 17 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
1 Recommendation Accepted in Part
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
Remove Post Office Ltd entirely from administering the Horizon Shortfall Scheme.
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
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
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2 Recommendation Accepted in Part
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
Transfer complex Horizon Shortfall Scheme claims to the Department for Business and Trade.
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
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
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5 Recommendation Accepted in Part
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
Resource the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Independent Panel to meet full-time.
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
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
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8 Recommendation Accepted in Part
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
Establish independent facilitator to assess reasonableness of Horizon Shortfall Scheme information requests.
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
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
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9 Recommendation Accepted in Part
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
Direct disputed Horizon Shortfall Scheme first offers to external mediation, bypassing the Panel.
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
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
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11 Recommendation Accepted in Part
1st Report - Post Office and Horiz…
Introduce binding timeframes for Group Litigation Order claims, with financial penalties for delays.
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
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
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Government Response AI assessment · 17 of 17 classified
Accepted 3
Accepted in Part 6
Rejected 8
Total 17 recs
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
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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
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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
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6 May 2025 To committee Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to an update on correspondence, 22 April 2025
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22 Apr 2025 To committee Letter from the Minister for Services, Small Business and Exports relating to HSS appeals process update, 8 April 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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7 Jan 2025 To committee Letter from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP relating to Post Office redress, 17 December 2024
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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
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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
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30 Oct 2024 To committee Letter from the Secretary of State relating to the launch of the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme, 30 July 2024
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30 Oct 2024 To committee Letter from the Secretary of State relating to Post Office Horizon compensation, 9 September 2024
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