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a; GOV.UK
Press release
Government to take over redress for
convicted postmasters from Post Office
All postmasters who have had their convictions overturned
will now have their conviction claims administered by the
government
From: Department for Business and Trade
(/government/organisations/department-for-business-and-trade) and Gareth
Thomas MP (/government/people/gareth-thomas)
Published 3 March 2025
« Government to manage redress for postmasters who have had
convictions overturned by the Courts to ensure it is delivered promptly
and sensitively
¢ The Post Office will cease to be involved in the redress for
postmasters with overturned convictions following calls from
campaigners and postmasters
e Redress for victims of Horizon scandal has more than doubled under
this government, delivering on a key manifesto commitment
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All postmasters who have had their convictions overturned, whether by a
court or legislation last year, will now have their conviction claims
administered by the government, completely taking them out of the hands of
the Post Office — fulfilling a key request from those impacted by the scandal.
After a three-month transitional period, the Department for Business and
Trade’s Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) will broaden its
scope to take on responsibility for redress for postmasters who have had
their convictions overturned by the Courts. These are currently dealt with by
the Post Office through their Overturned Convictions scheme. This is
something that postmasters, campaigners, and Parliamentarians, including
the Business and Trade Select Committee, have all called for.
Postmasters have suffered a huge amount. While the government can’t fully
put right what they have been through, it can make sure the compensation
process works better for them by listening to their grievances and acting
upon them where possible to ensure postmasters are treated with dignity
and respect. Today, this means ending the difficulty of dealing with the
organisation which upended so many of their lives.
The delivery of redress for victims of the Post office Horizon scandal is a
key government manifesto commitment, with a commitment of £1.8 billion to
ensure all postmasters receive the justice and financial redress they
deserve.
Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas said:
“ My priority upon coming into office was to speed up the delivery of
compensation to the victims of the Horizon scandal. We have made
significant progress, and we are now moving to ensure there is a
quick transfer of schemes from the Post Office to the Department.
“ In the meantime, I encourage all those eligible to apply for redress
under the Overturned Convictions scheme and continue to progress
their claims with the Post Office until the transfer date.”
The Department for Business and Trade will formally take over on 3 June
2025. The three-month transitional period between now and then will allow
for the smooth transfer of active claims from one scheme to the other,
ensuring there is no gap in service for postmasters who have claims in the
system.
As of 31 January, approximately £663 million has been paid to over 4,300
claimants, which has more than doubled since the end of June 2024.
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of government actions to
address the Post Office Horizon Scandal, including:
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e launching the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS) for
postmasters whose horizon-related convictions were quashed by
Parliament. This scheme has made 364 interim payments to eligible
claimants and has fully settled 208 claims, paying out a total of £156
million;
e onthe HCRS, committing to provide first offers on receipt of detailed
claims within 40 working days in 90% of cases;
e beginning payments of a £75,000 fixed offer for those postmasters in the
Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) who want to accept it: approximately
£171 million has been paid in award top-ups and £75,000 awards;
e publishing our response to the consultant's report into the Post Office
Capture software (predecessor to Horizon) and have committed to
offering redress to all non-convicted postmasters who fell victim to flaws
in Capture software;
* announcing an independent appeals process for the HSS to provide
individuals with a chance to have their claims reassessed through a DBT-
run process. We expect the first cases will be ready for submission in the
Spring;
¢ confirmed the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board in place.
Published 3 March 2025
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