POH-16 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Clarify whether HCRS and OCS assessment processes differ

Recommendation

The Department shall make a public announcement in which (a) it clarifies whether there will be any differences in the process for assessing financial redress, between the merged HCRS and OCS, and the process currently operating in OCS and if so, (b) it explains what those differences in the process will be.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), DBT publicly confirmed that the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) applies identical principles to the previous Overturned Convictions Scheme (OCS), ensuring no claimant is disadvantaged by the transfer. According to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)'s response to Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report, published on 9 October 2025, this clarification was included, and it was noted by the Business and Trade Select Committee on 6 January 2026.
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
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Accepted
Accepted Department for Business and Trade
09 Oct 2025

Department for Business and Trade accepts this recommendation. DBT confirms that HCRS applies identical principles to the previous OCS scheme, ensuring no disadvantage to overturned conviction claimants. Case management and independent panel processes are in place to address delays. Sir Gary Hickinbottom's role covers both pecuniary and non-pecuniary aspects of claims.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
02 Mar 2026

DBT has confirmed that the HCRS will apply the same principles as the previous OC scheme, ensuring no OC claimant is disadvantaged by the transfer to HCRS. This recommendation was addressed through the publication of the Department's response to Volume 1 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report on 9 October 2025.

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.

Confirmed Completed
06 Jan 2026
Business and Trade Select Committee Select Committee

Business and Trade Select Committee noted DBT confirmed that HCRS applies identical principles to the previous OCS scheme, ensuring no OCS claimant would be disadvantaged by the transfer.

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
Department for Business and Trade Primary
Themes & Tags
Public protection planning Major project lessons learned Outdated Operational Guidance Hcrs Ocs Consistency Conviction
Recommendation age 0.7 yr
Last formal update 02 Mar 2026