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Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance
Mr James Arbuthnot MP
House of Commons
LONDON
SW1A 0AA
6" September 2012
Dear Mr Arbuthnot,
In my letter to you dated 13™July 2012, the day after our meeting, I noted the following had
been discussed:-
Current Errors
There would be a Post Office Supported undertaking by 2ndSight to obtain current errors
occurring in Horizon from serving subpostmasters, which 2ndSight would then investigate and
track through the various Processes, In order to have errors brought to the attention of
2ndSight, Post Office, at the highest level, would state that all those who submitted items for
consideration could do so with impunity. Post Office would make aif Subpostmasters aware of
this through their Subspace magazine.
Though not specifically discussed at the meeting, Presumably this immunity with the addition
of anonymity would be extended ¢0 all Post Office personne! involved with Horizon e. 9. H.Q.,
Chesterfield and Crown Office personnel, etc.
In your response letter to me dated 18'July 2012 on this very point you stated:-
Your point about obtaining cases where current errors are occurring was and is a very good
one. I shall write to the Post Office and Suggest this, asking firstly that individuals might be
Prompted to come forward via the Post Office's Subspace magazine, and secondly, for some
assurances with regard to /mmunity. I take your Point that this immunity ought to be extended
to all personnel involved. Thank you for making it.
If the Post Office form of words you refer to in your last letter to me were meant to address
this issue, then it is either not very Clear or it has been ignored. True, the form of words does
cover some of the points, but the key issue of the current errors does not yet seem to have
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been included, that is unless I have missed it, Certainly with regard to our independent expert
beginning to get involved, they have made it clear that this point is crucial to the investigation.
I believe I have addressed Most of the issues you have asked for my thoughts on. Although
with regard to your remarks of it not being wise or feasible to dictate to 2™Sight on how they
expertise that both 2™Sight and our expert can bring to the investigation, they do not have
the many years of knowledge and €xperience of working with Horizon and Post Office from the
perspective of a user/subpostmaster, and which we would be delighted to assist them with, if
they would find that of use.
As you have rightly stated, 2™Sight Outlined how they would conduct their investigation at the
meeting, although part of that Outline was for the investigation of current Cases to go hand in
hand with the investigation of the historic cases. I can even recall them commenting on how
important current error cases were, as they were easier to track down. To that end we have
been compiling information on Current errors ever since the Meeting, but as things stand at
Present we are unable to forward these details as they are from serving subpostmasters who
we have to protect,
would be pointless to lend our Support to any investigation that was. not open to considering
all the facts that could be made available, if the right conditions prevailed.
_YourRSNnceraly..
~ GRO
Alan Bates
Chairman, Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance
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