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Department Department
for Culture for Business
Media & Sport Innovation & Skills
Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
and Minister for intellectual Property
Andrew Bridgen MP 1 Victoria Street
House of Commons Swit OET
London rT
SW1A OAA E Srguifies
‘www.gov.uk/bis
2 July 2015
Dear dhe bridg ey,
POST OFFICE HORIZON SYSTEM
I am writing as the Minister responsible for the Post Office, further to your adjournment debate
in the House of Commons on Monday this week regarding the Post Office Horizon system. I
would like to follow up on the offer my Ministerial colleague George Freeman made during the
debate, which was echoed by the Prime Minister, by inviting you to attend a meeting at the
Department to discuss this matter.
The Post Office mediation scheme, set up in connection with the Horizon system and the small
number of complaints made against it, is independent of Government and the details of
individual cases are confidential. It is important that confidentiality is maintained.
Furthermore, the Criminal Cases Review Commission has received applications from
individuals in the mediation scheme, which I understand they are looking in to. The Government
is very clear that the work of the CCRC must not be undermined by any party, particularly while
investigations are ongoing.
The Government acknowledges the concerns that Members of Parliament raised during the
adjournment debate. I am aware that MPs have met with Post Office on this in the past, and
furthermore, that Post Office have offered to meet with any MP individually and in confidence to
discuss individual cases.
The Government wants to ensure that MPs take the opportunity to raise their concerns directly
with Post Office. At the same time, the Government would like to allow the Post Office a further
opportunity to address the very serious accusations that have been made against it. This
meeting will provide an opportunity for both MPs and Post Office to understand each other's
views better, while maintaining the confidentiality of individual cases and respecting the work of
the CCRC. I hope that all parties involved will approach the meeting on that basis.
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This will be a private meeting and I will be writing in similar terms to the Post Office to invite
them to attend. Following this meeting we will consider whether any additional further action or
meetings are required. I hope you will be able to accept this invitation, and I invite you to
suggest one.or two other colleagues who should also attend. My office will be in touch to agree
a mutually convenient date.
Finally, I am attaching a copy of the letter mentioned during the debate from Paula Vennells,
CEO of Post Office Limited. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Libraries of both
Houses.
I am copying this letter to George Freeman.
BARONESS NEVILLE-ROLFE DBE CMG
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Post Office Limited
Post Office Customer Support Centre
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Street
London
EC2Y 9AQ.
George Freeman MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary for Life Sciences
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H OET
26 June 2015
Dear Minister,
Adjournment debate: Postmasters and the Horizon system
I wanted to write to you ahead of Monday’s debate.
I hope you are reassured, following the briefing from my team, about all the Post Office has
done to address the concerns raised by a small number of (mainly former) postmasters
several years ago. We have gone to great lengths to do so because I was determined that, if
there were problems with the Horizon system, these had to be identified and resolved. This
was essential as the Horizon system underpins our network — it is relied upon by 78,000
users in 11,500 Post Office branches serving communities across the UK.
The investigations over the past three years have underlined the confidence we have always
had in Horizon -it has been found to work as it should - and I firmly believe that we have
provided the small number of people who came forward with complaints, with a proper and
reasonable avenue to have those fully investigated. They have all been rigorously
investigated by the Post Office, independently reviewed by forensic accountants Second
Sight and, where it is appropriate, people have been provided with the opportunity for
independent mediation.
You will know that, more recently, the Post Office’s conduct on legal matters, such as
prosecutions, has been questioned and that there have been some extremely serious,
untrue assertions made about this. We continue to refute these robustly, but without
discussing the individual criminal cases involved because we are naturally respecting the
work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), following applications they have
received for a review of some of the cases. We also assured people who came forward to
the Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme that they could do so in absolute confidence
and we have honoured that throughout.
Post Office Limited ts registered in England and Wales. Registered No. 2154540
Registered Office Finsbury Dials, 20 Finsbury Street, London, EC2Y 9AQ . PostOffice.co.uk
Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trade marks of Post Office Limited
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This issue has been difficult for us. It involves a very small number of people, from the
nearly 500,000 people who have worked in our network since Horizon was introduced in
2001. While some of the cases are very sad, it cannot follow that the Post Office is
responsible for these individual circumstances. I do of course have sympathy in such
cases.
It is also, I think, worth saying that we are continuing to mediate and resolve cases. In some
there are genuine grievances about the support the Post Office provided, such as training,
and where there is evidence that we might have done more we are acknowledging this and
discussing it with the people involved to see if we can reach a mutually agreeable solution.
It is, frankly, difficult to see what more the Post Office could be expected to do to ensure
the rightful outcome of these cases, based on the evidence. We very much hope that those
remaining in the scheme who are being offered mediation will engage with it. Mediation is
being offered for all cases that are not subject to a previous court ruling (which mediation
cannot overturn).
Through our own work, and that of Second Sight, we have found nothing to suggest that, in
criminal cases, any conviction is unsafe. We take great care regarding our continuing duty
of disclosure on all legal matters including full co-operation with the CCRC.
1 regret that this is the first Post Office issue on which you are having to engage as a Minister
and I am grateful for the time you are giving to it.
Please do not hesitate to let me know if there is any more information you would like on
this, or on any other matter.
Yours sincerely,
Paula Vennells
Chief Executive
Post Office Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registered No. 2154540
Registered Office Finsbury Dials. 20 Finsbury Street, London, EC2Y 9AQ PostOffice.co.uk
Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trade marks of Post Office Limited