POH-3 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Apply full and fair meaning consistently across all schemes

Recommendation

The Post Office, the Department and the Minister shall ensure that all decision makers in HSS, GLOS and OCS/HCRS apply the meaning to be given to the words "full and fair" when assessing the amounts to be awarded to individual claimants.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Post Office, they agreed to apply the definition of 'full and fair financial redress' across all relevant schemes, including HSS, GLOS, and HCRS, with the definition referenced in scheme guidance. According to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Post Office, independent assurance arrangements are in place to oversee this, but the Business and Trade Select Committee on 6 January 2026 noted that a significant number of unsettled claims raised questions about the consistent application of this principle.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
Accepted Department for Business and Trade
09 Oct 2025

Department for Business and Trade accepts this recommendation. Both DBT and Post Office have agreed to apply the meaning to be given to the words "full and fair" as set out in the public statement across all schemes: HSS, GLOS, OCS, and HCRS. Independent assurance arrangements are in place to provide oversight.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
02 Mar 2026

DBT published a joint statement with Post Office explaining what is meant by "full and fair redress" on 9 October 2025. The statement will be applied by the Post Office and DBT in relation to all schemes.

Source
Official Report
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
Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Reasonable Progress
06 Jan 2026
Business and Trade Select Committee Select Committee

Business and Trade Select Committee found that DBT and Post Office had agreed to the "full and fair" definition and referenced it in scheme guidance. However, over 4,000 claimants remained unsettled, raising questions about consistent application across schemes.

View detailed findings

Business and Trade Committee held an evidence session on 6 January 2026 with witnesses from Fujitsu, the CCRC, DBT and MoJ. The CCRC revealed Horizon software may have been installed earlier than previously believed, potentially expanding the pool of eligible convictions. Over 4,000 claimants were still awaiting final settlement across all schemes at that date. Government accepted only 3 of 17 committee recommendations in full.

Business and Trade Committee evidence session, 6 … View Source
Source
Inquiry Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Report Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: Final Report 08 Jul 2025
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Post Office Ltd
Department for Business and Trade Primary
Themes & Tags
Post Office Horizon compensation gaps Quality and safety oversight Compensation Consistency HSS GLO Ocs Hcrs
Recommendation age 0.7 yr
Last formal update 02 Mar 2026