Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the claims process under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme for sub-post masters whose period of tenure includes years prior to 2004 where records have not been maintained by the Post Office.

The Government recognises that due to the absence of records and the amount of time that has passed since losses were incurred, postmasters may face challenges in evidencing their claim under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. The scheme was designed so that a lack of supporting information would not be a barrier to entry to the scheme.

Claimants are asked to provide as much information as they can in making their claim. In the absence of any Post Office records, the postmaster’s testimony will be considered when determining the outcome.