Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether postmasters subject to civil proceedings in respect of the Post Office Horizon scandal are entitled to compensation under the Government's Post Office scheme, announced on 22 July 2021.

The Government is keen to see that all postmasters whose Horizon convictions are overturned are fairly compensated as quickly as possible. On 22 July Government announced that it would be providing funding for Post Office to make interim payments of up to £100k to eligible postmasters who were subject to criminal proceedings linked to the Post Office Horizon IT system and whose Horizon convictions have subsequently been quashed. Only postmasters who have been subject to such proceedings are therefore eligible for these compensation payments.