UKGI00013794 - Letter from Norman Lamb MP to Stephen Hepburn MP re: Post Office Ltd’s Horizon system

Evidence on official site

UKGI00013794

UKGI00013794
Norman Lamb MP.
Stephen Hepburn MP Our ref: 307069
14 Tedco Business Centre Your ref: SHike
Viking Industrial Estate
Jarrow
NE32 3DT
August 2012

constituent, Mr Paul Popov, of Dunston Post Office; = «= ~SGRO-
t J about Post Office Ltd’s (POL) Horizon system.

I have noted Mr Popov’s experiences and concerns as subpostmaster at
Dunston Post Office but should also note that POL remains fully confident
about the robustness and integrity of its Horizon system and related
accounting processes. Since 2000, many millions of branch reconciliations
have been carried out with transactions and balances accurately recorded on
Horizon by more than 25,000 different subpostmasters in total.

Nevertheless, in the light of discussions with James Arbuthnot MP and a
number of other MPs with ex-subpostmaster constituents who had raised
concerns about Horizon, POL recently agreed to an external independent
review of a small number of individual cases that had been raised with them by
several MPs.

The external review of specific individual cases will be undertaken by a firm of
forensic accountants and the timescale and precise processes for identifying
the cases for the review are in the process of being finalised. James Arbuthnot
will arrange for the details to be circulated to interested MPs in due course.

I would therefore recommend that you contact James Arbuthnot to discuss Mr

Popov’s case and its possible inclusion in the cases to be reviewed by the
forensic accountants.

NORMAN LAMB MP