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Post Office statement 19 April 2015
Post Office Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme
Investigations over the past three years have confirmed that the Post Office’s Horizon
computer system is operating as it should. It is used successfully by 78,000 people to
process six million transactions every working day in communities throughout the UK.
Both the Post Office and independent forensic accountants Second Sight have found that
the majority of the branch losses in complaints put forward to a mediation scheme were, in
fact, caused by errors at the counter.
The Post Office is concerned that the report by Second Sight, recently made available to
scheme applicants for mediation purposes, repeats complaints made by a very small
number of former postmasters, as well as a number of assertions and opinions. Second
Sight has been unable to demonstrate any evidence to support these.
To address these concerns, the Post Office has produced a response to the Second Sight
report which has also been provided to all the remaining applicants in the scheme.
A Post Office spokesman said: “Over the past three years there have been exhaustive
investigations which have not found any evidence of systemic problems with the Horizon
system. The mediation scheme was set up to address individual complaints and that is what
we have gone to great lengths to do — a number are now resolved. The complaints are
considered on their facts and substance.”
Following the completion of its investigations, the Post Office announced last month that it
will put forward all remaining cases to mediation, with the exception of those which have
been subject to a previous court ruling. Those cases will continue to be considered ona
case-by-case individual basis.
Notes to editors
The Post Office established a Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme in 2013 to provide
an avenue for postmasters to raise specific, individual concerns. This followed an
independent review of the Horizon computer system which found no evidence of systemic
problems but did point to areas where the Post Office could have done more, in some cases,
in areas such as training and support.
Of the nearly 500,000 users of the system since it was introduced in 2001, there were 150
applications to the mediation scheme, covering events spanning over a decade. A number
were resolved at an early stage.
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The Post Office published a detailed report about the investigations and the scheme in
March 2015. This is available on the Post Office website.
Press Office: 0207 012 3456/ Melanie Corfield!