Establish standing public body to administer future redress schemes
As soon as is reasonably practicable, HM Government shall establish a standing public body which shall, when called upon to do so, devise, administer and deliver schemes for providing financial redress to persons who have been wronged by public bodies.
- The Department for Business and Trade acknowledged this recommendation on 9 October 2025, stating it saw "clear advantages" but that options needed careful consideration, with a substantive statement expected by summer 2026 (Government response to the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report (volume 1), DBT, 9 October 2025).
- The Business and Trade Select Committee noted the government had not committed to establishing a standing public body as recommended (Business and Trade Select Committee evidence session, January 2026).
- The Business and Trade Committee report HC 1598 found no progress on establishing the body, with the government having promised a substantive statement by summer 2026 (Business and Trade Committee, HC 1598, March 2026).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Under Consideration
Response
Under ConsiderationDepartment for Business and Trade acknowledges this recommendation and sees clear advantages in establishing a standing public body for financial redress. However, the government recognises that establishing such an independent redress body requires careful consideration of feasibility, scope, and resource requirements. A ministerial group will lead exploration of this recommendation, with a substantive statement expected by summer 2026.
Progress Timeline
DBT sees clear advantages of the recommendation but recognises that options to improve future delivery of redress will need to be carefully considered and the feasibility of an independent body will need to be properly explored, alongside existing mechanisms. The Minister responsible for Postal Services is chair of a ministerial group which leads on this work. While it is unlikely that an independent body could be established in time to take over delivery of redress for existing time-limited redress schemes, the government is actively considering its options and will make a substantive statement on this matter by summer 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.
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 no progress on establishing a standing public redress body. The government had not committed to the proposal and promised a substantive statement by summer 2026. The committee noted this remains undelivered.
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 noted the government had not committed to establishing a standing public body for financial redress as recommended. The committee heard DBT was "actively considering its options" and had promised a substantive statement by summer 2026.
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.