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Shon
RECEIVED
5 148 Old Street
12MAR 2b London
EC1V 9HQ
Jo Swinson MP
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H OET
9 March 2015
I.am writing to inform you of a decision we have made regarding the Complaint Review
and Mediation Scheme which, as you know, we set up in 2013 to respond to claims of
flaws in Post Office Ltd’s Horizon computer system and associated processes.
lam pleased to say that Post Office Ltd has now completed investigations into all the
individual cases put forward for consideration in the Scheme. Furthermore, again I am
pleased to confirm that no evidence has been found through these investigations of any
system wide issues with Horizon.
As a result, Post Office has now decided to put forward for mediation all cases remaining
in the Scheme except those that have been subject to a previous Court ruling (please see
below for more detail on our proposed approach to these cases). This will accelerate the
conclusion of the Scheme in the interests of Applicants and ensure that we fulfil the
commitments we made to them at the outset.
The mediation process will continue to be overseen by the Centre for Effective Dispute
Resolution (CEDR). The Post Office will also continue to seek to make an independent
review by forensic accountants Second Sight, available to Applicants where this has not
already been provided. We will also work with Second Sight to support completion of their
further thematic report in order that it is available to inform the ongoing mediation
process.
www.postoffice.co.uk
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For those applicants who have been the subject of court rulings, two important points
need to be drawn out. Firstly, we will continue to consider each of these cases carefully, on
a case by case basis, even though mediation cannot overturn a Court's ruling. Secondly, as
prosecutor Post Office has a continuing duty after a prosecution has concluded to disclose
immediately any information that subsequently comes to light which might undermine its
prosecution case or support the case of the defendant. Having now completed its
reinvestigation of each of the cases, Post Office has found no reason to conclude that any
original prosecution was unsafe. Applicants remain able to pursue the normal legal
avenues open to them to appeal! court rulings with any further material disclosed to them,
including that produced through the Scheme.
In all cases including those subject to court rulings, (if Applicants give their consent) the
Post Office continues to be prepared to discuss individual cases, in confidence with relevant
Members of Parliament or indeed to meet separately with individual Applicants to discuss
their cases.
The approach set out above will help to bring the mediation process to a conclusion earlier
than previously envisaged, thereby addressing the concerns of some stakeholders,
including MPs, the JFSA and the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee.
One of the consequences of our presumption in favour of mediating in as many cases as
Possible is that it brings to an end the role of the Working Group which recommends
whether a case is suitable to go to mediation or not. I have informed the Chairman of the
Working Group, Sir Anthony Hooper, and thanked him for his important contribution to
this process.
The Post Office will also publish a report outlining the background and steps it has
undertaken to be able to bring the scheme to this point.
I will be writing to the chairman of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee to
update him.
GRO
Paula Vennellé
Chief Executive
www.postoffice.co.uk