Post Office, London. Credit: Alex Yong, Shutterstock
At least 600,000 pounds (710,000 euros) Compensation owed to victims of the British Post Office horizon scandal remains unclaimed, but authorities have admitted they are not chasing it and fear they may “harass” anyone who was falsely convicted.
The new report denounces the government’s handling of payments and calls for a lack of urgency as progress is too slow.
MPS SLAM will be delayed with payment of Horizon compensation
The House of Representatives Accounting Committee (PAC) criticized the UK government for taking “inadequate action” in identifying all eligible post office operators who are entitled to claim from £1.7 billion (€19 billion) made available through four compensation schemes.
One of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history, the post office scandal saw hundreds of subpostmasters falsely charged for economic shortages caused by the false horizon IT system. In 2023, the Bureau of Business and Trade (DBT) launched a scheme to compensate 800 people whose convictions were abolished.
But almost a year later, only 42% of qualified people accepted a fixed offer of £600,000, with a third not being applied.
When asked by lawmakers why officials didn’t follow the claim, DBT admitted it was just sending it. 1 character I didn’t want to put pressure on each and every one of them with reminders.
“The government said it is concerned that individuals receiving the letter will feel harassment if there is a series of letters asking the same thing.” Guardian Report.
The PAC also aimed at the Horizon Farterfall Scheme (HSS), which is run directly by the post office. Over 18,500 letters have been sent to those who lost money due to the system (but were not convicted), but only 21% responded.
The post office has not followed up with those who did not respond, but has confirmed that it plans to send 5,000 more letters this year.
Sir Jeffrey Clifton Brown, chairman of the PAC, said: “It’s absolutely unacceptable that the affected people are forced to force a second lawsuit.”
The MP also raised questions about the post office’s financial support. The post office is entirely government-owned and is now at a loss. Last year, it recorded a pre-tax loss of £612 million (€788 million) and is planning to close 115 branches, putting 2,000 jobs at risk.
A post office spokesperson said: “Over £1 billion has been paid to victims of the horizon IT scandal. But this is an absolute priority to ensure that all victims receive full relief as soon as possible.”
However, although delays, unclaimed funds, and leading campaigners like Sir Alan Bates reportedly provided less than half of their original compensation claims, many have asked.
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