Grant appropriate powers to HSS senior lawyer
The appointed person shall be given appropriate powers to ensure that these tasks can be performed and carried into effect. If it is considered necessary by the appointing authority, it should consult with the Advisory Board, Dentons, Sir Gary Hickinbottom, Sir Ross Cranston and an appropriate number of claimants' representatives (as well as its own advisors) before determining the appropriate powers.
- The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation on 9 October 2025 and committed to consulting Sir Ross Cranston, the Advisory Board, Dentons, claimants' legal representatives, and the Post Office to determine the appropriate powers (Government response to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report (volume 1), DBT, 9 October 2025).
- Full details on the scope of the role of the Independent Senior Lawyer were subsequently published on GOV.UK (Progress update, DBT, March 2026).
- The Business and Trade Committee report HC 1598 found that despite powers being granted, fully-assessed HSS offers remain routinely undervalued (Business and Trade Committee, HC 1598, March 2026).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedDepartment for Business and Trade accepts this recommendation and has committed to consulting stakeholders to determine the appropriate powers for the appointed person. This consultation includes Sir Ross Cranston, the Advisory Board, claimants' representatives, Post Office, and DBT's own advisors.
Progress Timeline
Full details on the scope of the role of the Independent Senior Lawyer have been published on https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/horizon-shortfall-scheme-independent-senior-lawyer-scope-of-work/horizon-shortfall-scheme-independent-senior-lawyer-scope-of-work The document reflects consultation with Sir Ross Cranston, the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, Dentons, claimants' legal representatives and the Post Office.
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.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
HC 1598 found that despite powers being granted to the HSS senior lawyer, fully-assessed HSS offers remain routinely undervalued with major disparities between initial HSS offers and eventual HSSA awards. The committee concluded the HSS is "broken" for complex claims and recommended transferring remaining cases to DBT.
View detailed findings
Business and Trade Committee HC 1598 (13 March 2026) examined redress delivery one year on. Key findings: £1.44bn paid to 11,300+ claimants but thousands still waiting. HSS takes 143 days average for fixed-sum offers (target: 30 days) and 450 days for assessed claims (target: 180 days). Total redress bill now approximately £2bn. Fujitsu has contributed nothing. Committee made 29 formal conclusions and recommendations across redress schemes, quashed convictions, Fujitsu contribution, and pre-Horizon (Capture) IT system concerns.
Business and Trade Select Committee questioned what powers had been conferred on the HSS Senior Lawyer to ensure fair first offers. DBT stated it was consulting stakeholders on the appropriate powers.
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.