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Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry

Ongoing

Post Office Horizon Inquiry

Chair Sir Wyn Williams Judge / Judiciary
Established 01 Jun 2021
Commissioned by Department for Business and Trade Originally established under Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

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
Inquiry Website Terms of Reference
Government Response
Accepted 19
Accepted in Part 6
Not Accepted 1
Under Review 1
Total Recommendations 27
Data last updated: 9 Oct 2025 · Source
Data verified: 24 Mar 2026 (import)
How to read this

Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).

Full methodology

2 debates 26 questions since Jan 2022
Written Question Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry
Dr Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat)
11 Nov 2025
Written Question Fujitsu: Contracts
John Milne (Liberal Democrat)
13 Oct 2025
Written Question Fujitsu: Contracts
John Milne (Liberal Democrat)
13 Oct 2025
Hansard Debate Post Office Horizon Inquiry: Volume 1
17 Jul 2025
Written Question Procurement: Standards
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour)
14 Jul 2025
View all 34 mentions →
All Activity (34)
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
19 Feb 2020
Inquiry Established

Initially non-statutory inquiry established.

Source
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.

30 Jun 2025
Final Report Expected

Chair Sir Wyn Williams expected to publish final report.

Source
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
Period Total Inquiry Legal CP Legal Source
Mar 2025 £26,017,032 £8,738,949 £5,202,243
Mar 2025 (cum.) £74,726,556 £24,455,048 £15,904,255
Mar 2024 £26,770,510 £8,373,766 £6,150,587
Mar 2023 £18,491,383 £5,717,654 £3,905,857
Mar 2022 £3,087,287 £1,492,280 £645,569
Mar 2021 £360,345 £132,399 -
Clear

Recommendations (1)

POH-13
Not Accepted
Close HSS Dispute Resolution Procedure when HSSA opens
Recommendation
The current Dispute Resolution Procedure in HSS should be closed once all claimants currently within the Procedure have either (a) settled their claims or (b) transferred to HSSA. No claimant who is not in the Dispute Resolution Procedure when HSSA … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) rejected this recommendation, stating that closing the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) Dispute Resolution Procedure would conflict with the principle of providing "full and fair" redress by removing claimant choice (Government response, 9 October 2025; Business and Trade Select Committee, 6 January 2026). The Business and Trade Committee noted the government's rejection in March 2026, but concluded that the broader HSS process remains dysfunctional, with Post Office Ltd's continued central role undermining trust (Business and Trade Committee HC 1598, 13 March 2026).
Department for Business and Trade (Primary)
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