This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Horizon Historic Shortfall Scheme'.


Information Rights Team 
Post Office Limited 
Ground Floor 
Finsbury Dials 
20 Finsbury Street 
 
London EC2Y 9AQ 
 
 
 
 
 
Our reference: FOI2021/00034 
 
 
Mr John O’Sullivan 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 
 
 
18 March 2021 
 
Dear Mr O’Sullivan, 
 
Request under the Freedom of Information Act – FOI2021/00034 
 
I am writing in response to your request received by Post Office Limited (“Post 
Office
”) on 22 January, which I am dealing with under the terms of the Freedom of 
Information Act 2000 (“FOIA”).  
 
You have requested the information in relation to the Historical Shortfall Scheme 
(“Scheme”) set out below.  I can confirm that Post Office does hold the information 
you have requested. See responses.   
 
1. 
What date was the first payment made under this scheme? 
As communicated to you previously, some interim payments have been made. 
The first was made on 20 October 2020. 
2. 
How many payments have been made under this scheme? 
 
As at 12 March, 21 interim payments have been made.  
3. 
How many claims have been rejected under this scheme? 
As at the end of 5 March, 148 claims were classed as “ineligible” in that they 
do not meet the eligibility criteria (available here: 
https://www.onepostoffice.co.uk/media/47798/historicalshortfallscheme_eligibi
litycriteria_october-2020.pdf)

4. 
How many claims are yet to be decided under this scheme? 
Claims are progressing through the Scheme as expeditiously as possible but 
none have been concluded yet. 
5. 
What are the cash values of individual payments made under the 
scheme? 

 
Post Office considers that disclosure of this information would, or would be 
likely to, prejudice its commercial interests and the information therefore 
engages the exemption under section 43 FOIA. The cash values of individual 
interim payments made are commercially sensitive and dependent on each 
individual’s particular circumstances. Since section 43 is a qualified exemption 
the public interest has been considered as required and Post Office has taken 
into account the public interest in openness and transparency. However Post 
 


 
Office has concluded that those considerations were outweighed by the public 
interest in protecting Post Office’s commercial interests and therefore Post 
Office has concluded that the information is exempt from disclosure on the 
basis of section 43 FOIA.  
6. 
Have SPM who have been deemed to be owed money under the 
scheme been aske[d] to sign NDA? 

 
As no claims have yet been concluded, no applicants have been identified as 
"owed money" at this stage. However recipients of interim payments were not 
asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.  
7. 
Can SPM who have been unsuccessful in the scheme appeal against the 
decision or ask for the reasons behind the decision? 

If a postmaster is not content with the outcome of the assessment of their case 
there is a dispute resolution procedure which is further explained in the 
Scheme’s Terms of Reference (available here: 
https://www.onepostoffice.co.uk/media/47295/historicalshortfallscheme_terms
ofreference.pdf)

 
If you have any queries about this response, please contact me. Do remember to quote 
the reference number above in any future communications. 
 
I hope the information I have provided on this occasion is useful, however if you are 
dissatisfied with the handling of this response, you do have a right to request an internal 
review. You can do this by writing to the address below stating your reasons for your 
internal review request.  
 
Information Rights Manager 
Post Office Limited 
Information Rights Team 
Ground Floor 
Finsbury Dials 
20 Finsbury Street 
London  
EC2Y 9AQ  
xxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx   
 
If, having requested an internal review by Post Office, you are still not satisfied with our 
response you also have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:  
 
Information Commissioner's Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire  
SK9 5AF  
Telephone: 0303 123 1113 
https://ico.org.uk  
 
 
 
      


 
Yours sincerely, 
Chris Russell 
Information Rights Team 
xxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx  
http://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/secure-corporate/about-us/access-to-information/   
@postofficenews  
 
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy, information 
about how we do this can be found on our website at 
www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy