Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many subpostmasters in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West were (i) wrongfully convicted and (ii) quit as a result of the flawed Horizon accounting system.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government does not hold the data requested.
95 postmasters in England have had their convictions overturned to date. The Government will fast-track legislation to overturn the convictions of all those convicted in England or Wales.
Our focus is on ensuring that all those who lost their Post Office roles or experienced other losses as a result of the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they deserve.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the timeline is for ensuring all victims of the Horizon scandal receive the compensation they are due; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure all wrongfully convicted victims are compensated.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government wants to see postmasters compensated as quickly as possible. Over £148 million has been paid to 2,700 victims, and we encourage anyone impacted to use the three compensation schemes available.
Last September, we announced an optional fixed sum award of £600,000 to those with overturned convictions as a means to swift settlement. In order to speed the flow of compensation for those in the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, the Government also announced on 10th January that we will offer a fixed sum award of £75,000 which will save them from having to go through a full assessment. If they believe they are entitled to more, they are welcome to continue with the full assessment.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government remains committed to tackling all areas of disparities in this country, including in employment.
Ethnicity pay gap reporting is just one type of tool to assist employers in doing this and it may not always be the most appropriate mechanism for some types of organisations. Therefore, as set out in the “Inclusive Britain” report, which was published in March 2022, the Government will not be legislating to make ethnicity pay reporting mandatory at this stage. Government published guidance in April 2023 to support employers who wish to report voluntarily.