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Briefing for call/meeting with James Arbuthnot MP
- Thank you for the further opportunity to discuss the Second Sight report
- You will have received my letter following the very useful meeting we had with
our chairman on Wednesday
- I wanted to update you on the position since then
- We have now had the opportunity to see the interim review. It has some
challenges in it and we are discussing some of them with Second Sight
- But! do want to be clear with you that while the report is clear about how
effective Horizon is as a system, we do recognise and absolutely
acknowledge that we need to improve our support processes and our training
- Indeed we have made some significant changes in the last few years — but I
am not at all complacent, and I am determined to address this issue
- We care very much about our people and I need to make sure that spirit lives
throughout the business, and particularly with those who operate on the front
line
- Sowe will be taking steps to address these issues. I have a few ideas which I
would like to discuss with you.
- First though I wanted to update you on a telephone call I have had with Alan
Bates. It was very helpful, and he has made some suggestions which I plan to
talk to him about in more detail.
- He also takes the view that while he has criticisms about the way we support
people, the Horizon system is effective.
- He is keen to work with us, and us with him. I see a real opportunity to make
some steps forward. And I am very grateful to you for what you have done to
promote that approach
Initiatives
- I wanted to set out how we plan to address the issues raised in the report
- There are three key areas for me, and we have three proposals
- First we want to set up a Branch User Forum. This would be a group at the
heart of the business for subpostmasters and staff to raise issues and
concerns
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It would meet regularly and be chaired by a member of our executive. It would
report to our executive and help us to inform the way we do business.
I think this is an important step and I hope the JFSA will work with us on it.
We would also invite representative groups.
We intend that this forum’s first task will be to complete the review of cases
raised with us by the JFSA and report back to ourselves and MPs
On the MP cases, we would like to propose one-to-one meetings with all
those who have come forward with cases. This might be the best way to move
these cases forward (as you are aware Second Sight say they have struggled
to get evidence on some of them)
The second announcement is that we will set up a working group to review all
our processes: all the touch points which subpostmasters have with central
teams to change them where we need to. We will also examine training and
other support mechanisms. I hope the JFSA will work with us on this as well.
Finally, I have a proposal which follows on from my call with Alan Bates. We'd
like to rebalance the relationship between the business and subpostmasters.
I think Alan is right when he says there is an imbalance — that
subpostmasters feel they need an outlet when they have issues but that the
business is not always the right place to go because it can immediately
become process-heavy
Alan has suggested an adjudicator or ombudsman role. I think there is merit
in this and would like to investigate it further. I want to give subpostmasters
an independent avenue to go down. We need to get the balance right of
course — we need to be conscious of cost and bureaucracy, but I am sure
there is a way through this.
I hope these initiatives give you a sense of the approach we are proposing
here. We are taking this very seriously indeed and I hope that is clear.
Handling Monday
That takes me on to Monday and how we approach the meeting with your
colleagues
You plan to release a statement at 6pm with your comments on the report
We will publish the report shortly before that (subject to the continuing
discussions) along with a statement setting out the approach I have outlined
We will of course share this statement with you in advance — I would hope to
have something with you over the weekend or first thing on Monday morning
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- Given the way we have conducted this review between us, and with the
JFSA, I wondered whether you might consider a joint statement?
- This would send a strong signal about the way we as a business take these
issues seriously and have worked closely with you in doing so
- lam concerned about the way the media will portray the report and I don’t
think it is in anyone's interests for this to come across in an adversarial way —
I don’t think that is in the interests of post offices and all those who work in
them and I know you have a similar view
- I would be interested in your thoughts on this — and I would of course also be
happy for the JFSA to be involved in this approach
Conclusion
- I am interested in your thoughts on this. My final point was to talk about the
previous prosecutions
- You will appreciate that we cannot discuss individual cases in the media.
- Inall those cases there are avenues people can go down if they feel they
have been wrongly treated
- Asa business we do have to be able to prosecute where there is cause to do
so — you will appreciate that as custodians of public money subpostmasters
have to meet very high standards
- What I can pledge is that we will go through cases, privately, with MPs where
we can, and I will ensure the business gives this approach its full co-
operation