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Witness Name: Beverley Vandenberg
Statement No.: WITNO7390100
Dated: 15th February 2023
POST OFFICE HORIZON IT INQUIRY
FIRST STATEMENT OF BEVERLEY VANDENBERG
I, Beverley Vandenberg, will say as follows...
INTRODUCTION
1. lam a former employee of Post Office Limited (‘POL’) and held the position of
Service Support Advisor in the Network Business Support Centre (‘NBSC’).
2. This witness statement is made to assist the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry (the
‘Inquiry’) with the matters set out in Rule 9 Request dated 3 January 2023 (the
‘Request’)
BACKGROUND
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3. I worked on the post office helpline (NBSC) from 2000 to 2007 as a full time
employee on the NBSC.
4. In the year 1999 — 2000, I had run a Sub Post Office with my ex partner prior to
working for Post Office Limited. I had experience with working within a Sub Post
Office and the Horizon system.
5. My role on the NBSC was to answer questions from Sub Postmasters/mistress
and their counter assistants, help them with the balancing of the Horizon
system, the remming in of stock and cash and the remming out of stock and
cash, also the everyday transactions that took place at the post office counter.
6. Wednesday was the main balancing day of the Horizon system — we would
receive calls from offices as they could not balance the system either
cash/stock was short or over. This was down to user error and incorrect figures
being entered onto the Horizon system. The reason I say user error was after
listening to the customer and asking them where it was showing a shortage ie
either on the cash or stock, stamps — 1 would advise the customer to recheck
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their figures recount their stock, cash, stamps. Once they re entered the re
counted figures they reached a figure that they were happy with.
7. The training that I received from Post Office limited to do the role was 6 weeks
training 4 weeks classroom training 2 weeks nursery (If I remember correctly)
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with experienced floor walkers, this training I found to be totally adequate to
help me do my roll.
8. I was never aware that there could be bugs or defects within the Horizon
system, I don’t recall hearing that there was a problem or speaking to a
customer that said or even suggested that there was a problem with the Horizon
system.
Statement of Truth
I believe the content of this statement to be true.
Dated: 15" February 2023
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Classified: RMG — [Confidential]