Post Office Horizon Scandal: Compensation Payments

Lord Sharpe of Epsom Excerpts

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

If I may refer specifically to the Horizon scandal and how we are making sure that a scandal of this level never happens again, there is a significant undertaking with the Sir Wyn Williams review looking at exactly this matter of understanding how a scandal of this scale was allowed to come about, the accountability that operates there and that the right people are held accountable, and of ultimately making sure that something to this extent can never happen again.

[Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, in December we had a very similar Question. I asked then whether the Minister could

“tell us what safeguards are being put in place to ensure that no authority, public or private, can act with unchecked power similar to that exercised by the Post Office during the Horizon case”.—[Official Report, 12/12/24; col. 1874.]

The Minister said she would have more information on this in the future. I was wondering if she could therefore provide an update to the House on progress.

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

The purpose of the Sir Wyn Williams review is specifically to look at how this was able to occur within the Post Office, and make sure that those lessons have been learned. We are expecting the outcome of that review to be within some months, but I would anticipate before the end of this calendar year.