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Sir Keir Starmer has responded to a missive from Sir Alan Bates calling for faster compensation payments for postmasters impacted by the Post Office scandal, the premier minister's spokesperson has said.
Sir Alan wrote to the PM doubly successful the past month, urging him to guarantee victims person afloat fiscal redress by March adjacent year.
The erstwhile sub-postmaster told MPs earlier helium was inactive awaiting a response, earlier the premier minister's spokesperson said aboriginal connected Tuesday that a reply had been issued.
Last week, the authorities announced that £1.8bn has been acceptable speech for radical affected by the Horizon IT scandal, successful summation to assorted compensation schemes already announced.
Between 1999 and 2015 hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted aft the faulty Horizon IT accounting strategy made it look similar wealth was missing from subdivision accounts.
Sir Alan, portrayed successful a ITV play which thrust the ungraded backmost into the spotlight earlier this year, leads the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and was giving grounds to a parliamentary committee connected Tuesday.
The proceeding is considering accelerated and just redress for victims of the Post Office ungraded and a cardinal constituent for Sir Alan, which helium has made before, is that the authorities needs to acceptable deadlines for compensation to beryllium paid.
He told MPs helium had doubly written to the premier curate successful the past period to accidental "it needs to beryllium finished by the extremity of March 2025".
A No10 spokesperson said the PM responded to Sir Alan earlier connected Tuesday, and added the authorities is committed to getting speedy redress for victims, but is wary of mounting an "arbitrary cut-off" day that could spot immoderate claimants miss out.
“We privation redress arsenic rapidly arsenic possible," helium said. "What we don’t privation to bash is acceptable an implicit cut-off day which would effect successful immoderate claimants missing the deadline.
"But each postmaster eligible should person important redress by the extremity of March."
Campaigners person criticised the magnitude of clip it is taking for those affected to person compensation. Many sub-postmasters were wrongly sent to situation for mendacious accounting and theft, and respective much were financially ruined. Some person died waiting for justice.
The PM's spokesperson said arsenic disconnected 31 October, astir £438m had been paid to much than 3,100 claimants crossed the 4 compensation schemes.
At the committee, lawyers were asked astir their acquisition of the Horizon Shortfall compensation scheme, which is overseen by the Post Office.
This compensation strategy is for sub-postmasters who were not convicted, oregon portion of the Group Litigation Order (GLO) tribunal action, but who judge they experienced shortfalls due to the fact that of Horizon.
David Enright, whose instrumentality steadfast represents hundreds of Post Office victims, said determination is nary backing for ineligible proposal astatine the start, with claimants presented with a "DIY questionnaire".
Then, six to 9 months later, helium said determination is simply a petition for much accusation which often involves 50-150 further questions that tin lone beryllium answered by the likes of a forensic accountant.
"The strategy is designed to deterioration radical down," helium told MPs.
Another lawyer said immoderate of his sub-postmaster clients were being asked to supply impervious of losses successful claims that are 20 years old, but cannot to bash truthful due to the fact that the grounds had been antecedently seized by the Post Office and not fixed back.
The GLO scheme is for the 555 erstwhile postmasters who won their radical lawsuit, but received comparatively tiny payouts aft ineligible costs were paid. The strategy is funded and managed by the government.
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