Post Office publishes its latest figures for compensation paid to Horizon victims

Compensation offers made to 99.7% of Postmasters in Horizon Shortfall Scheme

• 2,410 postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme have now received compensation offers, totalling over £100m, with the majority agreed and paid
• £20.9 million paid to those whose Horizon-related convictions have been overturned by the Courts.

Simon Recaldin, Post Office’s Remediation Unit Director, said: “Our sole aim is to get full and fair compensation to people as fast as we are able. Offers totalling over £121 million have now been made, with the majority agreed and paid. Substantial interim payments continue in cases not yet resolved.”

Latest* figures are:

Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS)

The Scheme remains open for late applications and Post Office encourages those who think they may be owed compensation to come forward. Offers and payments also continue to be made for these each week, including interim payments in cases that are not yet resolved. Offers of £3.4 million and payments of £1.1 million have been made so far for late applications.

Overturned Convictions (OC)

Compensation totalling £20.9 million has been provided so far to people whose convictions have been overturned:

• All eligible claimants with an overturned conviction, who have applied for an interim payment, have now received a minimum of £163,000
• In addition to the interim payments, 56 people have agreed settlements totalling over £6.8 million for personal damages
• 5 full and final settlements have been agreed and paid.

Post Office is working with the seven law firms and legal representatives representing individual postmasters with overturned convictions to agree remediation principles and processes to help enable claims not yet received by Post Office to be made more quickly.

GLO scheme

Post Office is not involved in the administration of the Scheme and the latest information from the Government can be found here.

The Scheme is run by the Government to provide additional compensation to around 500 people who were part of a Group Litigation settlement in 2019.

Notes to editors:

*Figures are as at 27 July 2023. Post Office’s detailed progress updates on compensation can be found on the website here.

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS): For current and former Postmasters who believe they experienced shortfalls related to previous versions of the Horizon system. The founding principles of the Scheme were endorsed by the legal representatives in the Group Litigation as part of its settlement.

An independent advisory panel, including forensic accountants, retail and legal experts, assesses claims and recommends fair outcomes. The panel has a discretion of fairness and may take into account any matters they consider will produce a fair result.

Claimants who are unhappy with their offer can rightly dispute it, with independent legal advice reimbursed by Post Office and an interim payment of up to 80% of the offer made to help alleviate any financial pressures. The dispute process also provides for free, independent mediation.

Post Office encourages anyone who has previously been unable to apply to the scheme to come forward as it remains open for late applications.

Overturned Convictions (OC): For people with Horizon-related convictions that have been overturned. To make sure money reaches victims as quickly as possible, Post Office pays compensation for personal (‘non-pecuniary’) damages – for example for distress, damage to reputation and personal injury - as soon as these parts of claims are settled, whilst other parts are being progressed and completed. This is in addition to interim payments of up to £163,000 made as quickly as possible following the overturning of Horizon-related convictions overturned by the Courts.

Post Office does not have the financial resources to pay meaningful compensation and therefore its shareholder, the Government, is providing and overseeing funding support.

Group Litigation Order Scheme (GLO): The Government’s GLO Scheme is an ex-gratia claims-based scheme for postmasters who were part of the Group Litigation ‘Alan Bates and Others v Post Office Ltd’, and who do not have a Horizon-related conviction. Administered by the Department for Business and Trade. More details on the Government website here: Compensation scheme for Group Litigation Order case postmasters - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)