Government considering taking over Horizon shortfall scheme from Post Office
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The Government is considering taking over responsibility from the Post Office for redress schemes for subpostmasters impacted by the Horizon scandal, a minister has said. Business minister Gareth Thomas gave a statement to MPs where he said that £79 million has been paid to 232 people from the Horizon convictions redress scheme, but that the Government had “concerns” about the Post Office’s ability to deliver the Horizon shortfall scheme and the overturned conviction scheme.
The Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme was launched by the Government to enable people wrongly convicted of a crime because of the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office to apply for financial redress. The Horizon shortfall scheme allows subpostmasters to apply either for a £75,000 Fixed Sum Award or to have their application fully assessed, and is run by the Post Office.
The overturned conviction scheme is also run by the Post Office and is eligible for anyone whose Horizon-related conviction has been overturned by the courts. Mr Thomas outlined a number of areas the Government was considering amending some parts of the redress system as there are still “complex cases to resolve”.
He said: “There are still concerns about the responsibility of the Post Office to deliver the Horizon shortfall scheme and the overturned conviction scheme. “The Government is considering the merits of my department taking over this responsibility, but the benefits of such a move must clearly outweigh the disruption that could potentially be caused.
