Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry announces publication of the first part of its final report

The Chair of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry — retired High-Court Judge Sir Wyn Williams — recently announced that he intends to publish the first part of its final report this summer, which will focus on compensation and the human impact of the scandal. 

Williams commented: “it seems fitting that my conclusions on the suffering endured by so many, as well as the issue of redress, should be at the forefront of my report and published as soon as feasibly possible.”

A crucial step towards justice for the subpostmasters who suffered due to the Horizon IT system, the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry aims to provide answers, accountability and recommendations to prevent such a scandal from happening again.

In the Inquiry, we represented a witness who gave live evidence to the Inquiry critical of the Post Office board of directors’ response to the challenges facing the Post Office and also subpostmasters asked by the Inquiry to provide their written evidence.

Here, experienced litigator Simon Morris gives a status update on the Inquiry, explaining what has been happening ‘behind the scenes’ and looks forward to what we can expect next.

Why has the media gone quiet on the Post Office Horizon IT scandal?

The Inquiry's public hearings concluded in December 2024 following closing submissions from Core Participants. Since then, the story seems to have attracted less media attention.

Although there has been no further evidence for the media to report on, since December 2024 the Chair and panel have been reviewing the evidence that they’ve heard and working on their report.

It may still be a little while before the first part of the Inquiry’s final report is published on the Inquiry website and it’s not yet clear when the further elements of the report will be published.

Post Office Horizon IT scandal — a quick recap

Given the significant media attention in this scandal, there will be few people who aren’t well read on the background or who haven’t seen the ITV drama Mr Bates v The Post Office.

The Horizon IT system had been developed by Fujitsu and was rolled out by the Post Office to its branches in 1999 as an upgrade to the existing systems for handling branch transactions, accounting and stocktaking.

The data from that IT system is now widely known to have been unreliable, causing apparent significant discrepancies in the accounts of subpostmasters. These resulted in accusations by the Post Office of theft, fraud and false accounting against its subpostmasters.

In many cases, subpostmasters covered apparent shortfalls with their own money. In others, the Post Office pursued criminal prosecutions and convictions of its subpostmasters directly. For many subpostmasters, the consequences of conviction were devastating — financial ruin, loss of livelihood, stress, illness, family breakdown and even suicide.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were convicted based on data from the Horizon IT system used by the Post Office in its branches and the scandal is considered to be one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history.

Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry — what’s the point?

In response to mounting pressure from campaigners, MPs and the public, the Government set up the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry in 2020. The Inquiry was converted into a statutory public inquiry from 1 June 2021 with the aim of ensuring thorough investigation and accountability. This meant that it was able to compel the disclosure of information and documents from relevant sources, as well as compel witnesses to give evidence.

The Inquiry's five primary objectives are to:

1. Investigate the implementation and operation of the Horizon IT system.
2. Examine the impact on subpostmasters and their families.
3. Determine the extent of the Post Office's knowledge of the system's faults.
4. Assess the adequacy of the Post Office's response to the issues raised by subpostmasters.
5. Provide recommendations to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

What happens next?

The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry represents a pivotal moment in the pursuit of justice for hundreds of wronged subpostmasters and their families. While the public hearings have ended and media coverage has quietened, the Inquiry’s work continues behind the scenes and its findings may have far-reaching consequences — potentially influencing future criminal and civil legal actions, institutional reforms and public trust in national institutions.

The Inquiry Chair has confirmed that notices of intended criticisms have been circulated to affected parties regarding the first part of the Inquiry’s report. Those individuals and organisations must be given the opportunity to respond to the notices. The Inquiry will then consider responses and any appropriate amendments to its draft first part report before publication.

The timescales for publication of the entire final report are difficult to anticipate. From the conclusion of the hearings in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in December 2020 it took nearly two years for the final report to be published in October 2022. In the more recent Infected Blood Inquiry, the final witness hearings took place in July 2023 and the final report was published in May 2024.

The Inquiry’s report will be provided to Core Participants to the Inquiry immediately before publication on an embargoed basis to enable them to make preparations for publication. At this time, it’ll represent a comprehensive record of the investigation’s findings and recommendations for action and future reference.