Post Office scandal victims: £600k claims go unpursued

At least £600,000 (€710,000) in compensation owed to victims of the UK’s Post Office Horizon scandal remains unclaimed – yet officials have admitted they’re not chasing it up, fearing they might “harass” the wrongly convicted.

New report criticizes the government for its handling of the payments, claiming that the progress is too slow and lacks urgency.

MPs criticize delays in Horizon compensation payments

The House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) has criticised the UK government for taking “insufficient action” in identifying all eligible post office operators entitled to claim from the £1.7 billion (€1.9 billion) being made available through four compensation schemes.

In the Post Office scandal, which is one of the most egregious miscarriages in British justice history, hundreds of subpostmasters were falsely prosecuted over financial shortages caused by Horizon IT’s faulty system. The Department for Business and Trade launched a compensation scheme in 2023 to compensate 800 people who had their convictions quashed.

But nearly a year later, only 42 per cent of those eligible have accepted the fixed £600,000 offer, and a third haven’t even applied.

The DBT was asked by the MPs to explain why it hadn’t sent any follow-up letters. one letter I didn’t want them to feel pressured by me.

‘The government said that it was “concerned that individuals receiving letters would feel harassed if they had a series of letters asking the same thing,”‘ The Guardian reports.

The PAC has also targeted the Horizon Shortfall Scheme run by the Post Office. Over 18,500 people were sent letters to explain the situation (but they weren’t convicted). Only 21% responded.

Post Office admits it has not followed up on those who haven’t replied, but will send another 5,000 letter this year.

Clifton Brown stated that “it is deeply disappointing to find out that these schemes are still moving too slowly with no plans by the government to track down most of the potential claimants.” “It is entirely unacceptable that those affected… are being forced to relitigate their cases a second time.”

MPs questioned also the financial support of the Post Office which is owned by the government and currently operating at a loss. It posted a £612 million (€718 million) pre-tax loss last year and is set to close 115 branches, risking 2,000 jobs.

A Post Office spokesperson said, “More than £1bn has been paid to victims of the Horizon IT scandal… However, more work remains to be done so that all victims receive full redress as quickly as possible and this is an absolute priority.”

Many are asking, with the delays, unclaimed money, and that key campaigners such as Sir Alan Bates were reportedly only offered half of their original requests for compensation, if this is justice or just another slow-motion coverup?

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