Review into Post Office Horizon IT Sept 2015-April 2016

Dear Post Office Limited,

Written evidence submitted by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the BEIS Select Committee under it’s review into the Post Office and Horizon, (published 15th May 2020, Annex B-Factual Timeline, p7) states the following:

i) ‘August 2015: The Post Office Minister meets with POL to discuss the Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme, Second Sight reports and POL’s approach to addressing issues raised about the Horizon system’.

Who was present at this meeting? Were any concerns raised at this meeting regarding POL’s suspense accounts highlighted in Second Sight’s reports or suggestions made to investigate them?

ii) ‘September 2015:The Post Office Minister commissions POL’s new Chair to undertake a review of POL’s Horizon system and handling of postmaster issues. Support is provided by a QC’.

Who was commissioned to undertake this review?

iii) ‘April 2016:Preliminary conclusion of the review by the POL Chair finds no systematic problem with the Horizon system. Review halted following legal proceedings lodged against POL by the JFSA’.

Please can you advised who authorised this review to be halted, POL’s Chair or the Post Office Minister?

Please release relevant correspondence between POL and BEIS/UKGI and/or minutes of committee meetings when this review was discussed.

What was the response of BEIS to findings of the review and what action, if any was taken by POL as a result ?

Written evidence cited above can be found at:

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/97...

Yours faithfully,

Eleanor Shaikh