Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry
OngoingPost Office Horizon Inquiry
Public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, examining how more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted based on faulty Fujitsu software between 1999 and 2015.
4 years, 9 months
Duration (ongoing)
£74.7m
Total Cost
114
Witnesses
96
Hearing Days
303
Statements
Parliamentary Activity 34 Click to expand
2 debates
26 questions
since Jan 2022
11 Nov 2025
13 Oct 2025
13 Oct 2025
Hansard Debate
Post Office Horizon Inquiry: Volume 1
17 Jul 2025
14 Jul 2025
View all 34 mentions →
Reports (2) Click to expand
| Title | Volume | Publication Date | Recs | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Interim Report: Compensation | - | 17 Jul 2023 | 8 | |
| Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: Final Report | 1 | 08 Jul 2025 | 19 |
Timeline (8) Click to expand
01 Sep 2020
Chair Appointed
Sir Wyn Williams appointed as Chair.
01 Jun 2021
Converted to Statutory
Inquiry converted to statutory public inquiry with power to compel witnesses.
14 Feb 2022
Hearings Begin
Human impact hearings commenced.
15 May 2023
Phase 4 Hearings
Phase 4 examining Fujitsu's role began.
08 Jan 2024
Phase 6 Hearings
Phase 6 examining Post Office Ltd began.
13 May 2024
Phase 7 Hearings
Phase 7 examining Government, UKGI and Royal Mail Group.
Costs Click to expand
Total Inquiry Cost (Cumulative)
£74,726,556
to Mar 2025
Cumulative Total FY20-21 to FY24-25
Cost Breakdown (to Mar 2025)
Inquiry Legal Costs
£24,455,048
Panel remuneration & Counsel to the Inquiry
Core Participant Legal Costs
£15,904,255
Legal funding for core participants
Staff
£4,915,306
Accommodation
£8,851,979
Technology
£4,092,512
Other
£16,507,456
Total inquiry cost £74.73 million (to March 2025). Inquiry ongoing - report expected 2025. Category breakdown: inquiry_legal_costs = Chairman/Chair + Legal team + Counsel; staff_costs = Secretariat; accommodation_costs = Venue hire; technology_costs = Audio visual + Software/IT; other_costs = External document review lawyers + Expert witnesses + Other operational expenses.
Cost History
Recommendations (8)
Allow Advisory Board to monitor individual compensation cases
Recommendation
The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board should not be prevented from monitoring individual cases in which compensation has been or is to be determined by paragraph 4 of its Terms of Reference.
Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) partially accepted this recommendation, updating the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board's Terms of Reference to allow it to monitor whether "full and fair compensation is being paid out to applicants under the 3 schemes" and to advise the Minister at 3-monthly intervals (Gov.uk response, 21 September 2023). The Board has since published quarterly reports on its monitoring of individual cases (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 1 January 2026).
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Publish Advisory Board meeting reports within 21 days
Recommendation
The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board shall produce written reports in respect of each of their meetings in relation to each of the 3 schemes and publish the same within 21 days of the date of each meeting.
Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation, stating that written reports were already being published and would be issued within a week of each meeting unless the Board agreed otherwise (Govt response, 2023-09-21). The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board confirmed in January 2026 that it has published written reports for each of its meetings since the recommendation was made, with these reports available on GOV.UK (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 2026-01-01).
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Make monitoring full and fair compensation a core Board duty
Recommendation
It must be one of the core duties of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board that it monitors whether compensation payments are full and fair.
Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade partially accepted this recommendation, confirming that monitoring overall fairness of compensation payments is a core duty of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, while noting the Board would not intervene in individual cases (Govt response, 2023-09-21). The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board stated in January 2026 that it continues to monitor whether compensation payments are fair and timely across all schemes (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 2026-01-01). The Business and Trade Select Committee also examined the adequacy of the Board's monitoring role in January 2026.
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Increase Advisory Board membership if needed for capacity
Recommendation
If the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board considers it necessary, the number of persons appointed to the Board should be increased so as to ensure that the Board has sufficient capacity to perform the functions set out above.
Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation, stating it would keep the case for expanding the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board under review in discussion with its current members (Govt response, 2023-09-21). As of January 2026, the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board had not required expansion, and DBT confirmed its ongoing commitment to keep the matter under review in discussion with the Board (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 2026-01-01).
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Seek court directions for GLO compensation in bankruptcy cases
Recommendation
DBT shall take such steps as are necessary within 28 days of the publication of this report to seek appropriate directions under section 306 of the Insolvency Act 1986 in respect of the dispute between Moore UK and the Department …
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Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation and instructed counsel to submit a court application, making an expedited request and naming one postmaster as an interested party (Govt response, 2023-09-21). The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board confirmed in January 2026 that DBT successfully applied to court for the necessary direction under section 306 of the Insolvency Act 1986, enabling GLO scheme claimants to participate in the scheme (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 2026-01-01). The application was made promptly after the First Interim Report's publication.
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Publish proposals for equal tax treatment of compensation payments
Recommendation
DBT shall publish within 28 days of the publication of this report its proposals for ensuring that applicants to all schemes are treated equally and fairly in respect of liability to Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and Inheritance Tax on …
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Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation, stating that payments under the GLO scheme and for overturned convictions were exempt from Income Tax, National Insurance contributions, and Capital Gains Tax, with HSS claimants receiving similarly exempt top-up payments and all schemes being exempt from Inheritance Tax (Govt response, 2023-09-21). The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board confirmed in January 2026 that compensation payments under the GLO scheme and for quashed convictions were exempted from Income Tax, National Insurance, and Capital Gains Tax, fulfilling the recommendation's requirement (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 2026-01-01).
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Amend Limitation Act to extend GLO deadline if needed
Recommendation
HM Government shall bring forward as soon as possible legislation amending section 11(3)(a) of the Limitation Act 1980 to allow payments of compensation under the GLO scheme to be made to applicants after midnight on 7 August 2024 if that …
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Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation in principle, stating its determination to deliver the GLO scheme by August 2024 and its consideration of bringing forward legislation if the deadline appeared at risk (Govt response, 2023-09-21). However, the Business and Trade Select Committee noted in January 2026 that the Limitation Act amendment had not been brought forward as a standalone bill, though the government was considering longer-term legislative options (Business and Trade Select Committee, 2026-01-06). The August 2024 deadline for the GLO scheme has now passed.
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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Set agreed closing date for Horizon Shortfall Scheme applications
Recommendation
No applications for compensation to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme shall be entertained after such date as shall be agreed by the Minister, the Department for Business and Trade, the Post Office and the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board.
Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade partially accepted this recommendation, committing to discuss and agree a closing date for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) with the Post Office, and to consult the Advisory Board before notification (Govt response, 2023-09-21). The Horizon Compensation Advisory Board confirmed in January 2026 that the HSS closing date was agreed, and the scheme closed to new claims on 31 January 2026 (Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, 2026-01-01). The gov.uk progress update also states the HSS closing date was set as 31 January 2026 (Gov.uk progress tracker, 2026-01-31).
Department for Business and Trade
(Primary)
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