‘It beggars perception’ as DWP ‘drags its heels’ over subpostmaster prosecutions evaluations
The Division of Work & Pensions (DWP) has not but appointed an unbiased reviewer of its prosecutions of subpostmasters or signed off phrases of reference, nearly 18 months after the evaluation was introduced.
Campaigning friends mentioned it’s time for Parliament “to step in” and that “one thing may be very fallacious on the coronary heart of the federal government”, whereas a lawyer representing subpostmasters mentioned the delay “beggars perception”.
Within the aftermath of the Put up Workplace Horizon scandal hitting the headlines and the overturning of subpostmaster convictions based mostly on knowledge from the Put up Workplace’s Horizon system, the DWP introduced a evaluation of its personal prosecutions of subpostmasters. The “unbiased assurance evaluation”, because it was described by the DWP, will have a look at round 100 prosecutions between 1996 and 2018.
On 27 February 2025, the evaluation was first introduced. Talking on behalf of the federal government within the Home of Lords on the time, Peer Maggie Jones, in response to a query from fellow peer Prem Sikka, mentioned: “My noble good friend Lord Sikka raised a query concerning the DWP convictions. I can guarantee him that the minister for transformation is trying into this, a evaluation is being established, and I hope to offer extra details about that.”
However this week, 17 months later, in reply to a freedom of knowledge (FOI) request by campaigner and former subpostmaster Tim McCormack, the DWP mentioned it has not chosen the individual to evaluation the circumstances: “The method of [reviewer’s] appointment continues to be underway.”
It mentioned, as soon as agreed, the title of the unbiased reviewer might be introduced in a ministerial assertion. Moreover, the DWP admitted that the phrases of reference of the evaluation “aren’t but finalised”.
Within the FOI response, it mentioned: “[They] stay topic to stakeholder engagement and ministerial clearance. We don’t but have a confirmed publication date, however publication is anticipated as soon as that course of has been accomplished.”
The DWP was contacted by Pc Weekly for remark, but it surely didn’t reply.
In response to the DWP’s admission that the evaluation has not but began, Sikka instructed Pc Weekly: “It’s disgraceful that after 17 months of guarantees nothing has been finished. The promised evaluation has not begun, and no reviewer has been appointed. The federal government lethargy is prolonging the ache and distress of postmasters and their households. Justice delayed is justice denied. One thing may be very fallacious on the coronary heart of the federal government.”
Fellow peer and long-time campaigner for justice for subpostmasters affected within the Put up Workplace scandal, James Arbuthnot, instructed Pc Weekly: “It’s clear that the DWP is dragging its toes.”
He added that the division’s method mirrors that of earlier authorities efforts to keep away from investigating allegations over the Put up Workplace Horizon system: “It doesn’t see the necessity for this investigation, very like the Put up Workplace didn’t see the necessity to look into Horizon. Additionally it is making an attempt to restrict its scope and effectiveness as a lot as it might, very like the federal government tried to restrict the scope and effectiveness of the general public inquiry Boris Johnson promised, which civil servants tried to cut back to a ‘evaluation’.”
He mentioned the DWP’s commercial for a reviewer – whose work is to be restricted to 30 days and who received’t have a look at particular person circumstances – “makes the job pointless” and that “it’s time for Parliament to step in”, cadding: “I’ve mentioned this with Lord Sikka and I anticipate we will be working collectively on it.”
Neil Hudgell, lawyer at Hudgell Solicitors, which represents a whole lot of Put up Workplace scandal victims, mentioned: “It beggars perception that this evaluation has not began. Not a lot has occurred since this time final yr, aside from makes an attempt by DWP to restrict its attain and water down any significant investigation. Solely a full evaluation of all circumstances on their very own deserves will do and it wants to begin now and transfer at pace.”
Round 100 subpostmasters and employees have been prosecuted by the DWP with help from the Put up Workplace. The DWP mentioned it has recovered materials and reviewed circumstances, however has to date has not discovered proof that Horizon knowledge was utilized by it to prosecute subpostmasters or department employees.
In January, Hudgell instructed Pc Weekly that his regulation agency is pursuing its personal investigations on behalf of purchasers, and already had “a few circumstances lined up” to ship to the CCRC.
“We’ve unearthed some attention-grabbing issues that we expect influence the protection of convictions, so we’re not ready round on DWP themselves,” mentioned Hudgell. “Somebody must lean on the DWP, as a result of it’s not adequate. [The longer it takes,] the extra suspicion subpostmasters have that there’s one thing to cover.”
Polluted prosecutions
Focus turned on the DWP after the Put up Workplace Horizon controversy hit the mainstream following the ITV drama concerning the scandal, which noticed a whole lot of subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted following account shortfalls.
These discrepancies have been brought on by errors within the Put up Workplace’s Horizon system utilized in branches and effected hundreds of subpostmasters. Greater than 700 subpostmaster convictions, which have been based mostly on knowledge from Horizon, have been overturned en masse by means of an act of Parliament in Could 2024.
The DWP labored with the Put up Workplace on its subpostmaster prosecutions, and it has emerged that prosecutions of individuals utilizing numerous programs at Put up Workplace branches may be flawed. The CCRC now refers to circumstances based mostly on a number of applied sciences as “pre-Horizon appeals”, such is the number of programs concerned.
The DWP mentioned prosecutions have been associated to fraudulent exercise on the DWP fee mechanisms akin to order e book fraud, however Hudgell has acknowledged that “all prosecutions involving the Put up Workplace are polluted and should be checked out”.
In an replace, a DWP spokesperson instructed Pc Weekly: “We introduced an unbiased assurance evaluation the place Put up Workplace members of employees have been prosecuted by the Division for welfare-related fraud. Over the previous few years, we’ve got taken complete steps to get better materials and evaluation all related circumstances. So far, no documentation has been recognized to point out that Horizon knowledge was important to any DWP prosecutions.”
The DWP mentioned it is not going to evaluation prison convictions.
