Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he has identified any category of Horizon claimants who are unable to access an independent reassessment of compensation because they do not meet the eligibility criteria for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process to ensure that claimants are not excluded from an independent assessment of their compensation because of legal costs arrangements.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what guidance has been issued to officials assessing eligibility for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process on cases involving contributions by Post Office Ltd towards claimants' legal costs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many claimants have been found ineligible for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process because they received a contribution from Post Office Ltd towards legal costs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, for what reason claimants are excluded from the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process where Post Office Ltd contributed towards part of their legal costs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process contains any discretion to admit exceptional cases where the application of the eligibility criteria would prevent a claimant's compensation from being independently reassessed.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether claimants whose compensation has not been independently reassessed because they received a contribution from Post Office Ltd towards legal costs meet the eligibility criteria for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the equity of applying eligibility criteria for the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals process based on legal costs arrangements entered into before that appeals process existed.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals (HSSA) process was introduced in response to concerns raised by the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) that many applicants to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) may not have received comprehensive legal advice when settling their claims. The eligibility criteria therefore exclude individuals who settled with the benefit of fully funded legal advice provided by the Post Office. These criteria were developed in consultation with the HCAB, claimants’ legal representatives and postmaster organisations.

This means that a small number of individuals have not been eligible to access HSSA. However, the appeals process was specifically designed to provide funded legal support from the outset, helping applicants to fully understand and pursue their claims.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the quota on the import of Stainless Steel and Mild Steel since 1 July 2026.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is closely monitoring the utilisation of new quotas and is hearing feedback from affected businesses ahead of reviewing the measure in full after 12 months. As the measure is still in its first quarter and the transitional arrangement is in place, it is too early to draw firm conclusions about its impacts now. The Explanatory Memoranda to the legislation that implemented the measure set out the expected impacts on different sectors and businesses across the supply chain.

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