Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many subpostmasters were (a) dismissed, (b) prosecuted, (c) convicted and (d) received a prison sentence in each year since the Horizon computer system was installed and where evidence generated, at least in part, through Horizon was a factor in decisions; and if he will make a statement.

Over the years Horizon recorded shortfalls in cash which Post Office Ltd alleged were caused by sub-postmasters, leading to dismissals, recovery of losses and in some instances criminal prosecutions. Post Office informed the Court of Appeal in March 2021 that it had prosecuted 736 postmasters. Other prosecuting bodies also carried out prosecutions of postmasters.

As part of the ongoing criminal convictions appeals process in which the Post Office is engaged, the Courts will be examining whether Horizon evidence was essential to a conviction. It is therefore not for Government to comment on how many of these convictions may have been related to Horizon data.