Report on integrity of present Put up Workplace Horizon system due in autumn

An impartial investigation into the integrity of the present model of the controversial Put up Workplace Horizon system and its potential to establish discrepancies will likely be accomplished within the autumn.

The controversial system, which is on the centre of the Put up Workplace scandal, may very well be utilized in branches for one more eight years whereas an off-the-shelf different is sought.

The third-party evaluate of the Fujitsu-supplied Horizon system, which has been in use in branches since 1999, was revealed in November 2024 throughout a Put up Workplace scandal public inquiry listening to. When giving proof, Lorna Gratton, the civil servant who sits as a non-executive director of the Put up Workplace on behalf of the federal government, stated there had been a dialogue over the present reliability of the Horizon system.

Laptop Weekly revealed the evaluate was being carried out by investigation agency Kroll.

The Put up Workplace stated the investigation consists of an evaluation of the integrity of the info in Horizon and a evaluate of the Put up Workplace’s discrepancy identification and backbone course of. It stated it’s a response to suggestions from subpostmasters, together with proof heard on the public inquiry.

The Horizon system is on the centre of the widest miscarriage of justice in UK historical past. Hundreds of subpostmasters have been blamed for accounting discrepancies attributable to pc errors, with many masking phantom shortfalls by repaying enormous sums of cash to the Put up Workplace. Many subpostmasters have been bankrupted, put out of enterprise and wrongly convicted of economic crimes.

A September 2024 report by the general public inquiry raised considerations in regards to the present model of the controversial system. It discovered that 57% of present subpostmasters have skilled unexplained shortfalls.

Of these surveyed, virtually all 92% had encountered a difficulty with the Horizon IT system within the 12 months previous to the survey, with display screen freezes and misplaced connectivity being the commonest issues. 

Three-quarters stated they’ve used their very own department cash to cowl discrepancies or resolved the problem themselves.

Throughout a public inquiry listening to final 12 months, Fujitsu’s European boss, Paul Patterson, admitted there are bugs and errors within the Horizon software program, however stated blaming the applying for all points is the results of too “slim” a definition of Horizon. He stated display screen freezes may very well be attributable to a number of issues, and connectivity is offered by different suppliers.

He additionally stated methods that connect with Horizon, equivalent to POLSAP, the Put up Workplace’s SAP platform, also needs to be examined when points happen.

The system is ready to stay in branches for years to return. In keeping with a public sector procurement discover, the Put up Workplace will lastly change the controversial Horizon system with an off-the-shelf different, however this won’t be full till 2033.

Fujitsu’s involvement, nonetheless, will finish subsequent 12 months, with the Put up Workplace in search of a brand new provider to take over Horizon’s operation whereas it finds a alternative system. In whole, this can price taxpayers about £500m.

The federal government has to this point paid out £1bn in compensation to these affected by the scandal.

Individually, the Put up Workplace stated there isn’t a replace on its challenge emigrate Horizon information from Fujitsu infrastructure to its personal. The migration was paused on request of the Metropolitan Police resulting from its “considerations”.

Laptop Weekly first uncovered the scandal in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered because of the Horizon accounting software program, which led to probably the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British historical past (see under timeline of Laptop Weekly articles).