Found: Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice to the Chair, Justice and Home Affairs Committee regarding the Post

Found: portfolio level as well, and as an illustration, the Interministerial Group for Justice discussed the Post

Found: Correspondence from the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice , dated 12 March 2024 Post

Found: Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP Secretary of State for Business and Trade to the Committee to regarding the Post

Found: Chair, Justice Committee to the Secretary for Business and Trade, dated 25 April 2024 relating to the Post

Found: Exports, Department for Business and Trade, to the Chair, Justice and Home Affairs Committee regarding Post

Found: Justice Committee Oral evidence: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, HC 684 Tuesday 16 April

Found: Committee to The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade regarding the Post

Found: Exports, Department for Business and Trade to Baroness Drake, Chair of the Constitution Committee, on the Post

Found: We want to come on to dealing with the issue of protecting the innocents by going on to the Post Office

Found: Hollinrake MP, Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, dated 13 March 2024 regarding the Post

Found: Letter from the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business relating to the Post Office (Horizon

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with the Lord Advocate on the Scottish Government's proposed amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill.

Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland

Discussions with Scottish Ministers on the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill have principally been led by the Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade, Minister Hollinrake. I have not had discussions with the Lord Advocate regarding the Scottish Government’s proposed amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill.

Noting Scotland’s historically separate legal jurisdiction and the unique role of the Lord Advocate and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in respect of prosecutions in Scotland, it is the UK Government’s view that it is appropriate for the Scottish Government to bring forward proposals to address prosecutions on this matter in Scotland, and for those to be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament. The UK Government remains committed to supporting the Scottish Government in bringing forward its own proposals.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the extension of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government have decided to extend the territorial extent of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland.

This is the right choice as the Northern Ireland Assembly faces significant and unique challenges to delivering the necessary legislation at an expedited pace following its recent restoration and its public consultation requirements. These challenges posed the risk of a significant delay to justice for postmasters in Northern Ireland.

My hon. friend, the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business recently met the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Justice Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss these matters.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government have decided to extend the territorial extent of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland.

This is the right choice as the Northern Ireland Assembly faces significant and unique challenges to delivering the necessary legislation at an expedited pace following its recent restoration and its public consultation requirements. These challenges posed the risk of a significant delay to justice for postmasters in Northern Ireland.

My hon. friend, the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business recently met the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Justice Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss these matters.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to expand the applicability of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to cover postmasters and postmistresses in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK Government has worked at pace to deliver legislation to tackle the injustice faced by wrongfully convicted postmasters. The Government carefully considers the territorial extent of each piece of legislation and remains committed to supporting devolved administrations. Devolved administrations with powers to legislate in these areas should be expected to use them, as the UK Government has done in England and Wales.

The UK Government stand ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive to enable them to progress their own approaches to overturning convictions in Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of when postmasters and postmistresses will receive legal exoneration through legislation; and when they expect that legislation to come into force.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 13 March. With the will of both Houses of Parliament, the Government’s intention is that the Bill receives Royal Assent as soon as possible before Summer Recess. Convictions in scope will be quashed on Royal Assent.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her planned timetable is to introduce legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters impacted by the Horizon IT System.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 13 March. With the will of both Houses of Parliament, the Government’s intention is that the Bill receives Royal Assent as soon as possible before Summer Recess. Convictions in scope will be quashed on Royal Assent.

Found: division on amendment 28 12 HC Deb 5 March 2023 c 800 13 See Commons Library Briefing CBP -9986, Post

Found: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill

This petition calls on the Government to amend the new legislation to exonerate postmasters by extending its scope to encompass prosecutions by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), and convictions that have already been considered by the Court of Appeal.

Found: Extend the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill

Found: LORDS Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee HL Paper 111 21st Report of Session 2023–24 Post

Found: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill: supporting documents

Found: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill: supporting documents

Found: This blanket exoneration, delivered through the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, will quash

Found: The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill was introduced at Westminster on 13 March 2024 and did

Found: have done with previous correspondence on this matter Yours sincerely ANGELA CONSTANCE Post

Found: legislation would be to replicate, as closely as possible within a Scottish context, the provisions of the Post

Found: Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee (IMSC) on Tuesday 12 March and comments you made in the meeting about the Post

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25624 by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024, whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government regarding a possible UK-wide Bill, and when it expects to bring forward any Scottish legislation if such an approach is required.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

On 18 April 2024 I wrote to Kevin Hollinrake MP, with a list of 15 straightforward draft amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill which would have the effect of extending the scope of that Bill to cover Scotland. In doing so I urged him to table these amendments and bring certainty and clarity for those who have suffered wrongful convictions in Scotland.

Minister Hollinrake responded on 22 April 2024 to note that the UK Government was not seeking to extend the territorial extent of the Bill to Scotland, whilst at the same time noting that the UK Government would however be tabling amendments to the Bill to include convictions in Northern Ireland with the Bill's scope.

The UK Bill is due to next be debated on 29 April 2024, and draft amendments to extend the Bill to Scotland have been tabled. Should they not be accepted into the UK Bill then Scottish Government will bring forward Scottish legislation to ensure that sub-postmasters in Scotland receive justice.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill, which aims to exonerate people who were wrongfully convicted as a result of the reported issues with the Post Office accounting system, Horizon, not applying to Scotland, what action it will take to ensure that the exoneration of anyone wrongly convicted in Scotland will not be delayed and will not take longer to be effected than in England and Wales.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

The Scottish Government has repeatedly made it clear to the UK Government that the best way to ensure that there is a quick, fair and equal solution for all affected sub-postmasters is for a UK-wide Bill. It is not too late for the UK Government to change their position, and we will continue to press for a UK-wide solution as the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill progresses through the Westminster Parliament.

If the scope of the UK Bill is not extended we will do everything in our power to work as quickly as possible to introduce Scottish legislation that delivers justice for all those affected. Any such legislation can however only be passed after the UK Bill has been passed, to allow account to be taken of any amendments made during passage at Westminster. This is required to ensure full compatibility with UK legislation and the UK compensation scheme, in which the Scottish Government has no locus.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it will ensure that all sub-postmasters and mistresses whose wrongful convictions in Scotland were based on evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system will be identified, and all such convictions quashed.

Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs

On 13 March 2024 the UK Government introduced the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill which, if passed, will automatically quash on coming into force any convictions which fall within the scope identified on the face of the Bill. Details of the UK Bill can be found on the UK Parliament website: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

The Scottish Government believes that the best way to deliver a quick, fair and equal solution for all affected sub-postmasters is through a UK-wide Bill, and will continue to press the UK Government to deliver a solution that provides this.

We will introduce Scottish legislation if necessary, but any such legislation cannot be passed in the Scottish Parliament until after the UK Bill has been passed to ensure full compatibility with both the UK legislation, and the UK compensation scheme in which the Scottish Government has no locus.