Recommendation POH-19: Publish restorative justice programme by 31 October 2025
From Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: Volume 1 Report, published 8 July 2025.
Recommendation
By 31 October 2025, the Department, Fujitsu and the Post Office shall publish, either separately or together, a report outlining any agreed programme of restorative justice and/or any actions taken by that date to produce such a programme. For the avoidance of any doubt, the word Fujitsu in this recommendation is intended to include both Fujitsu Services Limited and Fujitsu Limited.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked three bodies to publish an agreed restorative justice programme. In its May 2026 dashboard update, published in June 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), Post Office Limited and Fujitsu had published an update in March 2026 detailing plans for postmasters and their families to meet staff, with support shared for up to five years (Cabinet Office, Jun 2026). In March 2026, the Business and Trade Committee HC 1598 found that the company had accepted moral responsibility but had not provided an interim payment towards the redress bill (Business and Trade Committee HC 1598, Mar 2026). Earlier, in January 2026, the committee welcomed the pilot restorative justice project while questioning who it would cover (Business and Trade Select Committee, Jan 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The Department, Fujitsu Services Limited and the Post Office have accepted this recommendation, and this is our joint statement in response.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: A joint statement by the Department for Business and Trade, Fujitsu Services Limited and Post Office Limited ("The Department, Fujitsu Services Limited and the Post Office have accepted this recommendation, and this is our joint statement in response"). The words are all three bodies'. The site records them under the Department, because Fujitsu's and the Post Office's own letters of the same day are recorded under them.
Earlier statement from Department for Business and Trade (1)
DBT, the Post Office and Fujitsu have jointly embarked on a restorative justice project for postmasters, facilitated by the Restorative Justice Council. All 3 parties are committed to the programme being postmaster-led. The first phase of the programme began on 23 September 2025, with a session in Belfast, followed by sessions in Glasgow, Cardiff and London. All sessions will be facilitated by advanced restorative justice practitioners. The conclusions of this phase will lead to development of the plan in the light of postmasters’ views. A detailed plan will be published on GOV.UK.
Enclosed with this letter is a joint statement by Post Office Limited, Fujitsu Services Limited and the Department for Business and Trade in response to Recommendation 19. This joint statement in turn refers to a report prepared by the Restorative Justice Council dated 20 October 2025 (the "RJC Report"). A copy of the RJC Report is enclosed.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: This letter was written to the Inquiry by Morrison Foerster (UK) LLP, solicitors for Fujitsu Services Limited, on 31 October 2025. It states Fujitsu's position, speaking of Fujitsu in the third person, so the site files it under Fujitsu.
Today, the Department for Business and Trade, Fujitsu Services Limited and Post Office Limited are publishing the attached joint statement which sets out our plans for our future work on restorative justice. This builds on the listening work that the Restorative Justice Council have conducted and their recommendations, as set out in the attached report which they are also publishing today. We are grateful to those who have shared their experiences of the Horizon Scandal with the Restorative Justice Council and we are now acting, together with the Department and Fujitsu Services Limited, to establish a lasting and meaningful restorative justice programme which is directly informed by the wishes of those who were harmed.
Delivery
Cabinet Office says completed (16 June 2026)
DBT, the Post Office and Fujitsu have jointly embarked on a restorative justice project for postmasters, facilitated by the Restorative Justice Council (RJC). All three parties are committed to the programme being postmaster-led. The pilot phase of the programme therefore involved meetings for postmasters facilitated by RJC to identify what postmasters want the programme to deliver. The conclusions of the pilot were published here. They have informed the plan for future phases of the programme. In March 2026, a further update as to the future of the restorative justice programme was published here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-office-horizon-it-inquiry-update-on-restorative-justice-programme]. This detailed how the programme will include the opportunity for postmasters and their families, whether individually or in groups, to meet staff from Post Office, Fujitsu and DBT if they would find that helpful. It also set out how DBT, the Post Office and Fujitsu have agreed to support the programme both financially and practically for up to 5 years initially. Responsibility for funding will be shared between the 3 organisations.
From: Post Office (Horizon) Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, May 2026 (data file)
Department for Business and Trade says in progress (19 March 2026)
DBT, the Post Office and Fujitsu have agreed to support the programme both financially and practically for up to 5 years initially. Responsibility for funding will be shared between the 3 organisations.
From: Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry: update on the restorative justice programme
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Cabinet Office (2 March 2026)
DBT, the Post Office and Fujitsu have jointly embarked on a restorative justice project for postmasters, facilitated by the Restorative Justice Council (RJC). All three parties are committed to the programme being postmaster-led. The pilot phase of the programme therefore involved meetings for postmasters facilitated by RJC to identify what postmasters want the programme to deliver. The conclusions of the pilot were published here: https://restorativejustice.org.uk/resources/horizon-project-reportrebuilding-trustthe-step-toward-restorative-future. They will inform the plan for future phases of the programme, which will be published in Spring 2026.
From: Post Office (Horizon) Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, February 2026 (data file)
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Restorative Justice Council (31 October 2025)
Over a two-week period, the RJC engaged with 145 participants across the United Kingdom, utilising in- person and online sessions as well as written submissions. From the onset, the importance of collaboration with those harmed was abundantly clear. This engagement provided profound insights into the experiences of affected individuals and allowed for the identification of potential restorative processes that could effectively address their needs.
Site note: The Restorative Justice Council prepared this report for Post Office Ltd, Fujitsu Services Ltd and the Department for Business and Trade. It is the Council's account of what it heard from postmasters, not a response by a body the recommendation is addressed to. Its cover is dated 31 October 2025, the date the site uses; the letter Fujitsu's solicitors sent the Inquiry on 31 October 2025 refers to it as "a report prepared by the Restorative Justice Council dated 20 October 2025".
Published evidence
Published findings referenced by inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether the finding is independent or government self-reported. Each finding is this site's summary of what the source found, with a link to the source; this site does not add its own progress rating.
Summary by this site of the published finding
HC 1598 found Fujitsu has acknowledged moral responsibility but made no interim payment and agreed no figure towards the approximately £2bn total redress bill. The committee recommended the government seek an urgent interim payment and that Fujitsu extend its moratorium on government contract bidding including subcontracting.
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.
Summary by this site of the published finding
Business and Trade Select Committee received an update on the restorative justice pilot launched in November 2025 under a joint statement by DBT, Fujitsu and Post Office. The committee noted the pilot as a positive step, while questioning its scope and reach.
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.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Department for Business and Trade
Response, delivery statement - Fujitsu
Response - Post Office Ltd
Response - Cabinet Office
Delivery statement - Restorative Justice Council
Finding