Subpostmasters wrongly convicted of economic crimes might nonetheless be ready for full compensation settlements nicely into 2026, based on a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report.
The committee of MPs additionally criticised the federal government for its lack of motion in contacting former subpostmasters who haven’t responded to invites to use for compensation.
The report comes days after the federal government’s self-congratulatory announcement that 7,000 victims of the Publish Workplace Horizon scandal have acquired over £1bn in compensation. The federal government stated this reveals “progress”, however the determine hides a continued wrestle for a lot of.
The PAC accused the federal government of taking “inadequate motion to make sure that all entitled to compensation from the scandal have utilized for it”.
The Publish Workplace scandal, which was first uncovered by Pc Weekly in 2009, noticed 1000’s of subpostmasters blamed and punished for unexplained accounting shortfalls that have been finally confirmed to be attributable to pc errors. There are actually 5 completely different compensation schemes associated to the scandal, together with one particularly for subpostmasters who used the Seize system, which pre-dated Horizon.
One other 12 months of wrestle
In its newest report, the PAC stated that within the Overturned Convictions Scheme (OSS), of which the Division for Enterprise and Commerce (DBT) took management from the Publish Workplace this month, 25 of the 111 eligible people haven’t but submitted a declare.
The scheme was created for subpostmasters who had convictions overturned earlier than the federal government launched laws to overturn tons of of associated convictions en masse.
“It’s attainable that claims will not be acquired for the remaining 25 eligible people till into 2026 because of the complexity of their circumstances,” stated the PAC report.
My case nonetheless stands within the Excessive Court docket, and … if I had utilized to the schemes, they’d say the court docket discovered me responsible of a breach of contract [so] they’re not going to pay me something substantial or truthful or affordable Lee Castleton, former subpostmaster
The 25 victims have acquired an interim cost of £200,000, with an additional £250,000 cost to be made on receipt of a full declare.
There’s a three-month transition interval from the Publish Workplace to the DBT to switch the related information and dealing with of claims.
The PAC committee beneficial: “The division ought to define the way it plans to deal with remaining circumstances beneath the OSS, together with how claims might be dealt with in a different way following the transition of the scheme from the Publish Workplace to the division.”
The PAC additionally revealed that just one in 5 of 18,500 letters alerting subpostmasters to their eligibility to use by means of the most important compensation scheme, referred to as the Historic Shortfalls Scheme (HSS), have been responded to.
“By 31 March 2025, roughly 18,500 letters had been despatched by the Publish Workplace, with a response fee of 21%,” the report stated. One other 5,000 letters are anticipated to be despatched this 12 months.
It stated the federal government has no plans to “monitor down” victims who won’t even concentrate on what they’re entitled to.
“The 18,500 folks written to by March 2025, as a part of this scheme, doesn’t characterize all these affected, and the federal government has no plans for following up with people who find themselves, or could also be, eligible to say beneath the schemes however who haven’t but utilized,” added the PAC.
Uncertainty and complexity
For the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS), which was arrange after the federal government launched laws to overturn tons of of wrongful convictions, the DBT stated it has issued letters to roughly 800 folks.
By 31 March 2025, 339 people had accepted a set and remaining sum of £600,000, whereas others within the scheme have but to resolve whether or not to simply accept the fastened sum or undergo the detailed evaluation course of.
In the meantime, though not lined within the PAC report, there stay 138 of 454 claimants within the Group Litigation Order (GLO) who’re awaiting their claims to be settled.
Sir Alan Bates, who led the Bates and Others vs The Publish Workplace GLO in 2018, stated a authorities division shouldn’t be dealing with redress.
“They’re not geared for this because it’s not the kind of factor these departments needs to be doing,” he stated. “It’s slowed down in forms the entire time. That’s the reality of the matter, and the one people who find themselves in denial about it are the division,” he added.
He referred to as for the PAC to have a look at the amount of cash spent by the federal government on legal professionals.
Lee Castleton, who, together with Bates, was one of many first group of subpostmasters to contact Pc Weekly in 2008, was made bankrupt by the Publish Workplace after he refused to cowl unexplained shortfalls, which are actually recognized to have been attributable to pc errors.
Castleton has not utilized for any of the present schemes, and is as a substitute launching authorized motion towards the Publish Workplace and IT provider Fujitsu to get justice for the “egregious” therapy he suffered at their palms.
“Becoming a member of a scheme could be like placing the horse earlier than the cart, actually. My case nonetheless stands within the Excessive Court docket, and I simply know if I had utilized to the schemes, they’d continually say that the court docket discovered me responsible of a breach of contract and due to this fact, they’re not going to pay me something substantial or truthful or affordable.”
It’s fully unacceptable that these affected by this scandal, a few of whom have needed to undergo the courts to clear their names, are being pressured to relitigate their circumstances a second time Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, PAC
Castleton, who was just lately awarded an OBE, is the primary particular person to launch a authorized motion, and it’s the first time an motion has been launched towards Fujitsu for its core position within the scandal. He’s additionally claiming compensation, alleging the Excessive Court docket judgment towards him was obtained by fraud.
Deeply dissatisfactory
MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who chairs the PAC, stated its members would have hoped to “have discovered the federal government laser-focused” on ensuring victims have been compensated absolutely and pretty.
“It’s deeply dissatisfactory to seek out these schemes nonetheless shifting far too slowly, with no authorities plans to trace down nearly all of potential claimants who might not but concentrate on their correct entitlements. It’s fully unacceptable that these affected by this scandal, a few of whom have needed to undergo the courts to clear their names, are being pressured to relitigate their circumstances a second time.”
The Publish Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Pc Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered because of the accounting software program (see timeline of Pc Weekly articles concerning the scandal beneath).
