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From: Mark Underwood! 4 _____GRO_
To: Kevin Lenihan { wen GRO . I Davidson James
i GRO , Newsome Pete
Ce: ‘Lesley J Sewell + GRO __.....» Patrick Bourke
Parsons, Andrew"
4 GRO Melanie Corfield
Subject: Second Sight assertions about editing data. URGENT.
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2015 13:25:24 +0000
Importance: Normal
Attachments: Receipts-Payments_Mismatch_Issue_Notes.pdf;
Correcting_Accounts_for_Lost_Discrepancies.pdf
Hi Kevin, James & Peter.
I tried to each of you a call but went through to voicemail. The below has come through from SS just now for which we
need to reply with 24 hours.
Back in 2010, a bug was identified in Horizon which caused a receipts and payments mismatch issue (also known as
the 76 Bug). Second Sight has been provided with POL / FJ documents about this issue and they have now
highlighted a couple of paragraphs in those documents that indicate Post Office can alter branch data. Second Sight
are not interested in the bug itself but rather the method by which Post Office could have edited branch data to resolve
the bug.
An extract from a draft Second Sight report (where they make their allegations) and the two POL / FJ documents
referred to therein are attached. The key extracts from the POL / FJ documents are below:
CORRECTING ACCOUNTS FOR "LOST" DISCREPANCIES
“7, Fixing the Data for each Affected Branch
The data can be corrected by adjusting the appropriate Opening Figures and BTS Data that relates to the
current TP. This will result in the Discrepancy needing to be processed when rolling over into the next TP."
RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS MISMATCH ISSUE NOTES
"SOLUTION ONE- Alter the Horizon Branch figure at the counter to show the discrepancy. Fujitsu would
have to manually write an entry value to the local branch account.
IMPACT - When the branch comes to complete next Trading Period they would have a discrepancy, which
they would have to bring to account.
RISK- This has significant data integrity concerns and could lead to questions of "tampering" with the
branch system and could generate questions around how the discrepancy was caused. This solution could
have moral implications of Post Office’
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changing branch data without informing the branch."
Please could FJ explain what is meant by "The data can be corrected by adjusting the appropriate Opening
Figures and BTS Data that relates to the current TP" and “Alter the Horizon Branch figure at the counter to
show the discrepancy".
Please can you also explain:
1. How these alterations would be made?
2. Would they leave a detectable footprint?
3. The effect they would have on data integrity?
4. Whether the alterations would be visible to branches?
5. What course of action was taken in relation to the 76 Bug?
Mark Underwood
Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme
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