Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has plans to strengthen the accountability of Post Office senior managers through the Government's shareholder role.

Following the Group Litigation Order court case, the Government has taken steps to strengthen the governance of the Post Office. This has included expanding the Department’s Post Office Policy team that works closely with UK Government Investments (UKGI) in advising Ministers on holding the Post Office to account.

The Government has also strengthened and formalised the respective responsibilities of the Post Office, Government and UKGI through a Framework Document published in 2020. ​The Government also maintains strong oversight of the progress made on resolving issues related to Horizon and will continue to hold the Post Office to account for learning relevant lessons and making tangible changes to the organisation.

The recent issue surrounding senior bonuses at Post Office highlighted a number of corporate governance issues which were the subject of the review undertaken by Simmons and Simmons and published in August 2023. ​The review made a number of important findings and recommendations, which Post Office accepted in full. The implementation of these recommendations is a priority and Government is monitoring Post Office’s progress closely.