Require HSS first offers match Independent Advisory Panel recommendation
In HSS the Post Office shall be obliged to make, and the Department shall be obliged to approve (when necessary) a first offer to a claimant which is no less than the sum recommended by the Independent Advisory Panel.
- The Department for Business and Trade accepted this recommendation on 9 October 2025, confirming that no first offer had ever been made below the sum recommended by the HSS Panel (Government response to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report (volume 1), DBT, 9 October 2025).
- The Business and Trade Select Committee heard that this had been confirmed as existing practice, requiring no retrospective changes (Business and Trade Select Committee evidence session, January 2026).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedDepartment for Business and Trade accepts this recommendation. In HSS the Post Office is obliged to make, and the Department obliged to approve (when necessary), first offers to claimants which are no less than the sum recommended by the Independent Advisory Panel. This does not require any retrospective changes as no first offer has ever been made which is less than the sum recommended by the Panel. The scheme documents have been updated to formally reflect this requirement.
Progress Timeline
No first offer has ever been made which is less than the sum recommended by the HSS Panel. Claimants are informed of this upon receipt of their offer.
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.
Business and Trade Select Committee heard that no first offer had ever been made in HSS below the sum recommended by the Panel, meaning the requirement in this recommendation had not needed to be enforced retroactively.
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.