On 10 January, the Prime Minister announced a major step forward in response to the Horizon scandal. He confirmed that the Government would introduce new primary legislation to make sure that those convicted as a result of the Horizon scandal, are swiftly exonerated and compensated. For those postmasters whose convictions were overturned by the courts, £38 million has been paid, and since October last year, claimants have been able to access £600,000 in a fixed sum award.
Today, the Government has introduced The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to the House of Commons. The Bill sets out a clear set of objective criteria which identifies the convictions which are in scope. Individuals whose convictions meet the criteria will have these convictions automatically quashed at Royal Assent, without any action on their part. Records such as the Police National Computer will be amended and individuals will be notified and invited to apply for financial redress. Only if the Government does not already have information about their convictions will individuals need to act to have their records updated.
Alongside the legislation introduced by the Government, the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry has today launched a new listening project to hear from more people impacted by the Post Office Horizon scandal. In Your Own Words is a channel for anyone affected by the scandal to share their stories and how their experiences have impacted them. Anyone wishing to contribute to In Your Own Words can share their story through an online form. People are invited to share their own stories or to share on behalf of those no longer with us.