Government didn’t want victims to feel harassed

The government was afraid that the victims of the post office scandal, who had not yet received compensation, would feel “harassment” if the authorities chased them to apply.

The Public Accounts Committee of the MPs examining the payments (PAC) found that most of the misconducted or convicted sub -fames have not yet received “fair and timely” correction.

In a report, he said that the government had “insufficient action” to enable people who have the right to compensation to apply for it.

Ministry of Business and Trade (DBT), so far has paid compensation of £ 1 billion, he said.

The Committee announced that the government has no plan to follow appropriate people for compensation.

“If the letters that have not been answered yet, the settlements are concerned about the potential of delay,” he said.

Chris Head, who runs a post office in West Boldon, said that the existing compensation processes are not working.

Mr. Head, who was the obe for justice services last year, was wrongly accused of stealing £ 88,000, and when the criminal investigation against him fell, the post office later launched a legal case.

“There is Sir Alan Bates, presented less than 50% of its claim… There are other people in the overturned conviction plan, the worst affected people.

“How can you tell people to stand out and make claims when not paid to the worst people affected?”

DBT said, “If there are a series of letters asking for the same thing,” letters are concerned about harassing. “

However, the DBT agreed to consult the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board upon the proposal that follow -up letters should be sent to the potential horizon deficit plan that has not yet applied for correction.

There is Four main schemes The sub-post-postmaster may apply for compensation and individual compliance depends on the conditions of each case.

Between 1999 and 2015, the wrong UFUK CT system made it look like money is missing in the branch accounts, and more than 900 sub-mail managers were incurred incorrectly.

While some sub-mail executives were in jail, more were financially destroyed and lost their living. Some died while justice was waiting.

The scandal was defined as the greatest low justice in the history of British law, but despite the government’s promises to accelerate payments, many victims are still waiting for financial compensation.

The Ministry of Business and Trade said that the PAC report was based on a “period before last year’s elections”.

However, the Committee, the report from April 2023 to March 2024 for the Ministry of Business and Trade, while examining the annual accounts, while conservatives in power, the report reflected the record of the current government, he said.

The report contains evidence in April this year and reflects some figures until May.

The committee said:

• In March of this year, the government owned by the government wrote to 18,500 people. Horizon deficit Schema (HSS), However, the majority did not answer.
• . Horizon Prisons Correction Program (HCRS)This year, a fixed rate of £ 600,000 or a “full request assessment” option for 800 appropriate people received 536 applications until May this year. 339 of them had chosen the sum of fixed payments. In the report, the government has not yet received a full request evaluation application, he said
• In relation to Overturned conviction plan25 people out of 111 people have not yet made a request. 86 of them 69 made full and final claims made.

The PAC report said that the government “is not planning to follow people under plans but have not yet applied, or to follow people who may be able to follow.”

He added that there is no clarity about the value of the claims expected through the government’s HSS and HCRS plans.

The latest figures showed that more than 7,300 lower schemes were given a total of 1,039 billion pounds in all correction plans.

Committee President Sir Geoffrey Cliftton-Brown, compensation plans are still “very slow”, “the majority of potential plaintiffs who are not yet aware of their appropriate rights to monitor the” deeply satisfactory “, he said.

“It is not completely unacceptable that some of those who are affected by this scandal, who should pass through the courts to clear their names, have to reshape their case.”

The Committee has made various suggestions to the government with a wide message that each postal manager is fully notified of the options for compensation.

The Ministry of Business Administration said: “We will work with more than 24,000 postmaster to provide the opportunity to apply to everyone who may be appropriate for correction and the post office.”

The long -standing public investigation on the post office scandal, which examines the treatment of thousands of sub -mail managers and tries to determine who will be accused of false prosecution, will publish its final report on July 8.

As part of the annual report compiled in April this year but covering the period from April 2023 to March 2024, PAC also found that the government’s efforts to reclaim the losses of fraud through a splash loan plan to help the government get rid of Covid losses were “greatly unsuccessful”.

Despite the fact that the amount of fraud is not confirmed, it is estimated that at least £ 1.9 billion of pounds were lost throughout the schema with payments of only £ 130 million from the loans.

In the report, the government said that “it is very passive by giving primary responsibility to lenders to save the losses”.

“Since the losses of the lenders are written by 100% Government, there is no commercial incentive to help the taxpayers’ money back.”