Horizon inquiry to consider ‘redress’ for postmasters

The Post Office Horizon IT inquiry has published a provisional list of issues on which the inquiry intends to focus its investigative work.

Chaired by retired High Court judge Sir Wyn Williams, the inquiry has been conferred with statutory powers in June, allowing it to compel witnesses and demand documentary evidence, with fines or imprisonment for non-compliance.

Among the issues, the inquiry proposes to identify the challenges faced by subpostmasters when seeking to expose the failings of the Horizon IT System and to obtain redress for the wrongs which they suffered as a result of those failings.

The inquiry will also consider “to what extent (if at all) has the creation and implementation of the Historic Shortfall Group Scheme and the Interim Compensation Scheme provided an adequate means” for affected subpostmasters.

Last month, the government has announced funding support to expedite interim payments of up to £100,000 for individuals whose convictions have been overturned in Horizon cases.

A total of 59 convictions have been overturned in appeals till date, 51 at the Court of Appeal, and eight at Southwark Crown Court.

The government’s support comes in addition to the financial backing it is providing for the Historical Shortfall Scheme for current and former sub-postmasters, who were not prosecuted, to claim shortfalls related to previous versions of the scandal-hit computer system Horizon.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that Post Office is facing £311 million in claims as part of the scheme. The document has also revealed that some 2500 claims were made under the scheme, against an anticipated 500, adding that the cost could affect the firm’s ability to operate as a going concern.

Post Office has settled around 450 of these claims.

Meanwhile, the 555 subpostmasters who settled with the Post Office in December 2019 at the High Court have been excluded from the Historical Shortfall Scheme. Among them, only those whose convictions have been quashed will qualify for the Interim Compensation Scheme.

The inquiry has invited representations from core participants and other interested persons on the provisional list of issues before the list is completed and the investigative work commences. However, it clarified that the inquiry would not be limited to the final list of issues.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Chair will be guided by the evidence that emerges throughout the Inquiry and the completed list of issues will not bind the Chair to investigate only those issues set out therein or necessarily to investigate a listed issue irrespective of the sufficiency of evidence that is identified,” it said.

Last week, Post Office has appointed Ben Tidswell as a new non-executive director to head the newly established board sub-committee for historical remediation programmes. The will direct actions to address past failures, and the committee’s remit includes overseeing Post Office schemes providing compensation for postmasters affected.