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From: McInnes Tim (ShEx)
Sent: 25 August 2015 12:15
To: Neville-Rolfe MPST; SpAd Javid MPST
Subject: RE: Post Office - Horizon
lam trying to get hold of Rob and understand he will be back at his desk shortly, when I will speak to him.
Thanks,
Tim
From: Neville-Rolfe MPST
Sent: 25 August 2015 12:15
To: McInnes Tim (ShEx); SpAd Javid MPST
Subject: RE: Post Office - Horizon
Hi Both,
Is there an agreed approach I can share with the Minister? She is only here until 1pm.
Kind regards
Andrew Smith
a, Private Secretary to Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Parliamentary Under Secretary
of State and Minister for Intellectual Property
Department
for Business t
4 il Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 1 Victoria Street, SW1H OET
Innovation & Skills ° Ol vis en
www.gov.uk/bis I @bisgovuk I blogs.bis.gov.uk
BIS I Connecting people to opportunity and prosperity
Please note: in line with Cabinet Office guidance MPST does not keep records of Ministerial business. Responsibility for storing
records sits with the relevant departmental team. Please ensure you are familiar with what records you need to be keeping and
are storing them appropriately
From: McInnes Tim (ShEx)
Sent: 25 August 2015 10:43
To: Neville-Rolfe MPST
Cc: Thompson Laura (Shareholder Executive); Callard Richard (ShEx)
Subject: RE: Post Office - Horizon
Andrew,
Further to your email and our conversation from yesterday please see below a little background on the points raised
by Andrew Bridgen and a proposed response to his email. I have discussed the proposed response with Richard.
Post Office have also confirmed that the subpostmaster in Oliver Letwin’s constituency is Tracey Merritt, who was
mediated in November 2014. No prosecution was mounted against her, and while settlement options were
discussed in the mediation process no agreement was ultimately reached. As I am sure you understand, Post Office
1
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are unable to share the details of this mediation process. In addition Post Office have assured us that they did
everything in their power to try and reach a reasonable outcome, and that this has been confirmed by a confidential
email from the mediator involved.
If any of this is unclear, or you have any questions please give me a call.
Many thanks,
Tim
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1.) Fujitsu Remote Access
* Horizon does not have functionality that allows Post Office or Fujitsu to edit or delete the transactions
recorded by branches. There has been no evidence in any case reviewed as part of the Scheme that shows
that these controls have failed or that the above statement is incorrect.
e It has however always been possible for Post Office to correct errors in and/or update a branch's
accounts. This is most commonly done by way of a transaction correction however it could also be by way
of a balancing transaction or transaction acknowledgement. A Post Office employee could also, in special
circumstances, log on to a branch terminal locally (i.e. by being physically in a branch) using a new User ID
and password and then conduct transactions (though these would register against that unique User ID).
© Allof the above processes for correcting / updating a branch's accounts have similar features. All of them
involve inputting a new transaction into the branch's records (not editing or removing any previous
transactions) and all are shown transparently in the branch transaction records available to Subpostmasters
(as well as in the master ARQ data).
2.) Second Sight Allegations
© Second Sight has written to Ministers to complain its report has been misrepresented and now appear to be
asserting that systemic flaws in Horizon do exist. Second Sight’s reports have not identified any link between
Horizon and the losses to the postmasters in the cases they reviewed, nor has it identified any transaction
caused by a technical fault in Horizon which has resulted in a postmaster wrongly being held responsible for
aloss. There is no evidence that the Horizon system does not work as it should.
e There is, in fact, overwhelming evidence that the losses complained of were caused by user actions,
including in some cases, deliberate dishonest conduct.
PROPOSED RESPONSE
Dear Andrew,
Thank you for your recent email.
As you are aware I am meeting with James Arbuthnot in September regarding Post Office and I expect that
discussion to touch on a range of points, including the allegations raised in the recent BBC Panorama broadcast.
You will also be aware that I have asked Tim Parker, Post Office Limited’s new Chair, to take a close look at Horizon
when he takes up his role in October. Tim has a strong background working in a range of complex organisations, as a
senior executive and as a Board member, and I am confident that his fresh pair of eyes will provide some further
reassurance to you.
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In light of the above and, in addition, given both Post Office’s ongoing commitment to the mediation scheme and
the applications by subpostmasters that have been made to the Criminal Case Review Commission, I do not believe
that it would be appropriate for Government to take any further action at this time. This includes launching an
independent investigation into Horizon.
I look forward to discussing the matter with James Arbuthnot next month.
Kind regards,
[e]
From: Neville-Rolfe MPST
Sent: 24 August 2015 13:49
To: McInnes Tim (ShEx)
Subject: FW: Post Office - Horizon
Tim,
Apologies copying you in as per Richard’s out of office.
Kind regards
Andrew Smith
From: Neville-Rolfe MPST
Sent: 24 August 2015 12:54
To: Callard Richard (ShEx)
Cc: Thompson Laura (Shareholder Executive); Dollin Michael (Shareholder Executive); SpAd Javid MPST; Neville-
Rolfe MPST
Subject: FW: Post Office - Horizon
Richard,
Please can I have some urgent advice regarding this e-mail.
Kind regards
Andrew Smith
Private Secretary to Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Parliamentary Under Secretary
Department
for Business L__ GRO
4 H Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 1 Victoria Street, SW1H OET
Innovation & Skills if I va me I Micion
www.gov.uk/bis I @bisgovuk I blogs.bis.gov.uk
BIS I Connecting people to opportunity and prosperity
Please note: in line with Cabinet Office guidance MPST does not keep records of Ministerial business. Responsibility for storing
records sits with the relevant departmental team. Please ensure you are familiar with what records you need to be keeping and
are storing them appropriately.
GRO_
From: BRIDGEN, Andrew [mailtd
Sent: 24 August 2015 12:50
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To: Neville-Rolfe MPST
Cc: JONES, Kevan; LETWIN, Oliver
Subject: RE: Post Office - Horizon
Dear Lucy,
We write further to your letter dated 14th August 2015 regarding the Post Office Horizon software. In light of the
subsequent BBC Panorama programme broadcast on the 17th August, all three of us representing those of our
constituents who have been affected, now request a further meeting to discuss this matter.
There were several allegations in the broadcast which we feel need urgent attention -- the two principal issues being
(1) the statement from the Fujitsu whistle blower that transactions could be remotely manipulated and (2) the
statements by Second Sight which contradicted the version of the Second Sight report that the Post Office has
presenting to Ministers, MPs and the media.
In light of these serious developments, we are convinced that the interests of our constituents require this matter to
be independently investigated -- ideally by a private sector entrepreneur with experience of managing organisations
of this scale. We would suggest someone with the standing of Sir Terry Leahy or Baron Rose of Monewden to
undertake such a review.
We very much hope you will be willing to meet us to discuss this matter as soon as possible.
Kind Regards,
Andrew Bridgen MP Kevan Jones MP Oliver Letwin MP
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