The government has set up new independent review processes and an investigation into the Horizon compensation scheme.
As reported in The Law Society Gazette, the review will address potentially undervalued compensation claims for wrongfully convicted sub-postmasters, insufficient evidence to prove eligibility for redress and issues with pre-Horizon software.
The independent reviews are taking place this month and in November to victims who lacked evidence for compensation or believe the fixed-sum redress was underestimated.
The investigation seeks to understand the full extent of ‘financial, personal and reputational damage’ that affected postmasters, ensuring that ‘no stone is left unturned’ when examining software used before Horizon.
The government compensation schemes have faced criticism, as previously reported on The Justice Gap, for being ‘terribly bureaucratic’ and ‘excessively legalistic’. Some victims do not have access to necessary files, preventing them from proving their innocence.
More than 700 people were wrongly convicted based on errors from the Horizon IT software, used between 1999 and 2015, with thousands more affected. Many individuals lost their jobs and reputations whilst 13 took their own lives, creating an ‘unspeakable’ impact on victims and their families.
Between 1992 and 1999, flawed Capture accounting software was used in over 2,000 Post Office branches, creating shortfalls that postmasters had to pay out of their own money.
The Capture Redress Scheme will accept applications until 31 March 2027, while the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme will close to new claims on 31 July 2027. Registrations remain open for the Horizon Family Members Redress Scheme, which allows victims’ families to claim compensation and is expected to begin processing claims next year.
Over £9 million in Capture compensation has been paid so far. More than £1.73 billion in Horizon compensation has been paid to over 14,000 affected individuals, with 87% of Horizon claims received settled.
Post Office Minister, Kate Dearden, said that ‘behind every pound of compensation paid is a person whose life has been turned upside down by the scandal’, pledging her commitment to ‘fair, comprehensive and timely redress’.
