Tue, 24 Jun 2025

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 Post Office payout progress insufficient, MPs say

Many sub-postmasters are yet to receive "fair and timely" compensation over Horizon IT scandal, a report says.

* Many wrongly-accused or convicted sub-postmasters are still waiting for "fair and timely" redress, with only one in five letters sent about compensation receiving a response.
* The government has paid out over £1bn in compensation so far through four main schemes, but individual eligibility depends on the circumstances of each case.
* Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted after the faulty Horizon IT system made it look like money was missing from branch accounts.
* The scandal has been described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, with some victims still waiting for financial redress despite government pledges to speed up payouts.
* The committee found that the government had "no plans" to follow up with people who may be eligible for compensation but have not yet applied, and did not have clarity on the value of claims expected through two of the schemes.
* Latest figures show a total of £1.039bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all the redress schemes.
* The committee chair described the slow pace of compensation as "deeply dissatisfactory" and said it was unacceptable that those affected by the scandal were being forced to relitigate their cases.
* The Department for Business and Trade said they would consider the recommendations and work with the Post Office to ensure everyone who may be eligible for redress is given the opportunity to apply.
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