Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sub-postmasters were (1) prosecuted, and (2) convicted, on charges associated with the use of the Horizon computer system; and how long they estimate it will take to (a) review, and (b) resolve, compensation claims in connection with these cases.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Jeremy Hunt (Conservative - South West Surrey)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Horizon-related prosecutions were brought by her Department prior to relinquishing that function to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Answered by Will Quince
DWP relinquished prosecutorial functions to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2012. Due to legal document retention policies, information on individual Horizon cases is no longer available. Therefore, we cannot identify how many cases DWP sent for prosecution, nor their outcomes.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support sub-postmasters affected by failings in the Horizon IT system.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Post Office Ltd has admitted it got things wrong in relation to the Horizon IT system and has apologised. The Government understands the serious impact that issues arising from faults with the Horizon IT system, and the Post Offices management of these issues, have had on affected postmasters’ lives and livelihoods. In order to ensure that there is a public summary of failings and that this situation will never be repeated, the Government launched the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on 29 September 2020.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) Post Office or (b) his Department (i) has taken or (ii) plans to take, any legal action against Fujitsu following the civil litigation case Alan Bates and Others and Post Office Limited.
Answered by Paul Scully
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. The details regarding contracts with Fujitsu and seeking financial compensation, are an operational matter for Post Office Limited.
The Department has not taken, and has no plans to take, any legal action against Fujitsu.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon Post Office accounting software.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
On 29 September, we announced the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. The Inquiry aims to achieve the following:
The Post Office has also committed to a significant programme to fundamentally reform the organisation. Ministers and Officials regularly engage with Post Office management on the progress of this programme to ensure they deliver on their commitments from the settlement.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What steps his Department is taking to support sub-postmasters affected by failings in the Horizon IT system.
Answered by Paul Scully
Post Office Ltd has admitted it got things wrong in relation to Horizon and has apologised. I have announced an Independent Inquiry to ensure that we understand fully what went wrong and that this situation will never be repeated.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in which financial year the £58 million legal settlement in relation to the Horizon IT case will be accounted for in Post Office Ltd’s Annual Report and Accounts.
Answered by Paul Scully
Post Office responded to the BEIS Select Committee Inquiry in June 2020 regarding costs of the group litigation and its consequences and estimated that, since 2016/17 Post Office has incurred costs of approximately £43m in relation to the litigation (which began in April 2016). This figure includes expenditure on legal and consultancy fees connected with the litigation and other costs indirectly related to the litigation, but excludes the settlement amount of £57.75m which was ultimately paid by Post Office in December 2019.
The settlement in relation to the Horizon IT case agreed in December 2019 will be included in Post Office’s annual report and accounts for the financial year 2019/20, as will spend on litigation costs for financial year 2019/20.
Under the Companies Act, firms have 9 months after the relevant financial year ends to file their accounts, meaning the end of December 2020 for 2019/20 accounts. For accounts from the 2019/20 financial year Companies House has provided an optional three-month extension of this deadline due to Covid-19. In recent years, the Post Office has laid its report and accounts before Parliament between September and December.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial provision Post Office Ltd is making for future legal costs in response to its decision not to oppose 44 out of 47 appeals in which it acted as prosecutor.
Answered by Paul Scully
The question of financial provisions relating to future legal costs is an operational matter for the Post Office Limited. Post Office Limited will be following appropriate accounting standards in producing their annual accounts.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) when and (b) how regularly his Department's Audit and Risk Assurance Committee engaged directly with Post Office Limited (POL) or with UKGI to assess the control environments, risk management framework and escalation practices at POL with regard to its Horizon IT system issues.
Answered by Paul Scully
As BEIS was not party to the litigation and the litigation was handled by Post Office Limited and their own legal team, it has not been included as a specific agenda item for ARAC in the last two years.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how regularly were reports from Post Office Limited's Group Litigation Subcommittee delivered directly or via UKGI to his Department's Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
Answered by Paul Scully
As BEIS was not party to the litigation and the litigation was handled by Post Office Limited and their own legal team, it has not been included as a specific agenda item for ARAC in the last two years.