POL00021762 - Email from Belinda Crowe to Charles Colquhoun, Rod Ismay and Andrew Parsons re: Suspense account paper Second Sight

Evidence on official site

POL00021762

POL00021762

Message
From: Belinda Crowe
Sent: 06/08/2014 17:
To: Charles Colquhoun [/- I; Rod Ismay Parsons,

ive Group/cn=Recipi
cc: ; Amanda A Brown
Subject: FW: Suspense account paper Second Sight [BD-4A.FID20472253]

All, would it be possible to set up a conference call for Friday at say 12.30pm to discuss this? If so, I will ask Amanda if
she would be able to set something up for us.

Thanks
Best wishes

Belinda

Belinda Crowe

148 Old Street, LONDON, EC1V 9HQ.

From: Belinda Crowe

Sent: 05 August 2014 16:25

To: Charles Colquhoun

Cc: Belinda Crowe

Subject: Fw: Suspense account paper Second Sight [BD-4A.FID20472253]

Charles

As discussed. Here's Rod's email.

If you could send it to Rod and get an answer. Best wishes
Belinda

“1

From: Rodric Williams

Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 07:38 PM
To: Belinda Crowe

Cc: Parsons, Andrew <_
Subject: RE: Suspense ‘account paper Second Sight [BD~ Fi, 71020472253]

Belinda I agree with Andy - I’d like to avoid giving anything if at all possible (less is more), but if we do, rather than give
them the data they’ve asked for, we should provide MI which gives context, incl:

- rather than raw three year data, give the monthly average over the past 3/5 years

- what that figure is as a proportion of total month end transactions; and

- average time to clear sums in suspense

e.g. something along these lines: “The amount held in suspense accounts across the Post Office network averages £XX

per Trading Period, or approx. Y% of the total value of the transactions processed each Trading Period. Of the sums held
in suspense accounts, approx. Z % is cleared within 30 days, and all but F% is cleared within 90 days”.

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Rodric Williams I Litigation Lawyer

148 Old Street, LONDON, EC1V 9HQ
-

Post Office stories

©GBO©OO®

I

From: Belinda Crowe

Sent: 01 August 2014 06:51

To: Charles Colquhoun; Rod Ismay

Cc: Belinda Crowe; Andrew Parsons; Angela Van-Den-Bogerd; Rodric Williams
Subject: Fwd: Suspense account paper Second Sight [BD-4A.FID20472253]

Charles/Rod

Second Sight have now comeback on the paper and asked for information on the suspense account. Specifically "can we

have details of month end balances for this account for the last 3 years together with details of amounts released to
P&L"

Charles had previously suggested providing a ballpark figure, but if we do that we would have to wrap a significant
amount of information around that as context. However, Andy Parsons has sketched out a suggested response below. I
do not know whether the published accounts give any details or whether we do ever make this information otherwise
available but I would be grateful for advice on how best to respond.

I think that we should consider this through the lens of an Fol request and how we would respond to that. Anyone could
ask the question (and may have done so in the past) therefore we need to be sure that whatever response we give
would not result in less information being released than if they requested the information under FolA.

Second Sight are producing a draft report either today or tomorrow which is likely to reference this so we will need to
have a response within the next couple of days.

Best wishes
Belinda

Belinda Crowe
148 Old Street, LONDON, EC1V 9HQ

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Parsons, Andrew" <"
Date: 31 July 2014 14:47:46 BST

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To: "Belinda Crowe { GRO "4 GRO”
GRO >

uspense account paper Second Sight [BD-4A.FID20472253]

Angela Van-Den-Bogerd

Subje
Belinda, Angela

As discussed briefly yesterday, I suspect that the information requested by lan below is highly commercial sensitive.

It may also be that the figures in question are quite high and this may then be portrayed as if there are significant sums
each month that cannot be reconciled within POL's accounts. The inference from this is that POL's processes /
accounting systems are flawed given the volume of discrepancies. Whether or not this is correct, it is an easy leap to
make.

Assuming that POL finance say that this info cannot be disclosed, I've penned out a short response to lan below.

Kind regards
Andy

lan

The information you are seeking is highly commercially sensitive and therefore would only be made available in
exceptional circumstances.

As described in the Suspense Account Note provided to you, sums in POL's suspense account do not impact on branch
accounting but reflect unresolved matters between POL and its clients. I'd be grateful if you could explain why SS need
visibility of the suspense account figures given that the Part 2 Report and the CRRs are only focussed on the impact on
SPMRs.

Kind regards
Andy

Andrew Parsons
Senior Associate
for and on behalf of Bond Dickinson LLP

Follow Bond Dickinson:

www.bonddickinson.com

From: IRH [mailto:
Sent: 30 July 2014 13:25
To: Belinda Crowe

Cc: Ron Warmington (f" GRO}; cw 20
Subject: Re: Suspense account paper Second Sight

“4; Angela Van-Den-Bogerd; Parsons, Andrew; Chris Aujard

Thank you Belinda, very helpful

In the light of the disclosure of rolling 3 year suspense account can we have details of month end balances for this
account for the last 3 years together with details of amounts released to P&L

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Many thanks
-lan

Sent from my iPad

On 30 Jul 2014, at 13:13, Belinda Crowe

Sent on behalf of Chris Aujard

All, Chris has asked me to forward the following paper to you on his behalf.

Best wishes
Belinda

Belinda Crowe

148 Old Street, LONDON, EC1V 9HQ
i GRO }Postline?.

JHB III IDOI SOI IDOI ODI III UII IDIOT IOI OS ORO III IIA

This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the
named recipient, you must not use, disclose, reproduce, copy or distribute the contents of this
communication. If you have received this in error, please contact the sender by reply email and then
delete this email from your system. Any views or opinions expressed within this email are solely those of
the sender, unless otherwise specifically stated.

POST OFFICE LIMITED is registered in England and Wales no 2154540. Registered Office: 148 OLD
STREET, LONDON EC1V 9HQ.

JHB III ISHII III SOI DIOS DIO III III DID II ASOD IIIA IIA

<Suspense account paper Second Sight.pdf>

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This email is sent for and on behalf of Bond Dickinson LLP which is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales under number 0C317661. Our registered
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Bond Dickinson LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

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This email and any attachments are confidential and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the named recipient,
you must not use, disclose, reproduce, copy or distribute the contents of this communication. If you have received this in
error, please contact the sender by reply email and then delete this email from your system. Any views or opinions
expressed within this email are solely those of the sender, unless otherwise specifically stated.

POST OFFICE LIMITED is registered in England and Wales no 2154540. Registered Office: 148 OLD STREET,
LONDON EC1V 9HQ.

JOH ESO SOO AIO IO IO BIO SOD IOI SIO IOI OITA AISA IOI AIK

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