Sir Alan Bates has advised Sky Information that the federal government’s new Seize Redress Scheme is “half-baked”.
The Post Office scandal campaigner, who may be a sufferer of Seize, accused officers of not studying classes from earlier compensation failures.
Seize was a bit of defective pc software program utilized in about 2,500 branches between 1992 and 1999 earlier than the notorious Horizon scandal.
Many sub-postmasters made up probably false accounting shortfalls from their very own pocket, with dozens, no less than, convicted of stealing.
Sir Alan Bates reaches settlement with govt
Sir Alan welcomed the launch of the primary ever Seize Redress Scheme final week “basically”.
Nonetheless, he added: “It does appear to have gone off half-baked with nearly not one of the classes that ought to have been learnt from the failures of the opposite Postmaster Schemes having been utilized when compiling it.”
Sir Alan Bates, who has settled his redress declare with the federal government in reference to Horizon, additionally confirmed he could have been a sufferer of Seize.
He mentioned: “I’ve documentation which reveals {that a} PC operating Seize was a part of the stock once we bought our sub-post workplace and I do know it was used till it was changed by the notorious Horizon system towards the top of 2000.”
Regardless of this, Sir Alan mentioned that – with the data he has concerning the scheme and making a declare – “it does appear I might not be ready submit one”.
Will Publish Workplace victims be cleared?
Beneath the present guidelines, it seems claimants should submit a completely itemised declare earlier than the Division for Enterprise and Commerce (DBT) will determine in the event that they qualify – a course of Sir Alan described as “mad”.
“We may spend a yr compiling a declare just for the DBT to say we weren’t eligible within the first place.”
He known as for a two-stage course of: first to substantiate eligibility, then to permit victims to construct their case with authorized help – a mannequin he says would save time, cash and keep away from pointless authorized prices.
The revelation that Sir Alan could have been a Seize sufferer – and did not realise till in a while – raises contemporary issues about what number of others stay unaware.
In an announcement to Sky Information, a authorities spokesperson mentioned: “After over 20 years of preventing for justice, victims will lastly obtain redress for being impacted by the Seize software program and we pay tribute to all of those that have labored to show this scandal.
“All eligible candidates will obtain an interim cost of £10,000. In distinctive circumstances, the impartial panel can award above £300,000, which isn’t a cap.
“We’ve got been involved with Sir Alan’s authorized consultant and stand prepared to supply additional data to assist all claimants.”
‘This ready is simply insufferable’
It comes as paperwork seen by Sky Information counsel that the Publish Workplace knew about faults in Seize pc software program earlier than it was rolled out in 1992.
Notes from a gathering of “the Seize steering group” held in February – months earlier than the system was launched to branches – described recordsdata as being “corrupted”.
It highlighted that: “If the ability was switched off when a file was open it will be corrupted. On this scenario information needs to be checked and reinput.”
‘All we wish is her title cleared’
One other fault talked about within the assembly notes was if “a part of the system was closed early, to provide consumer summaries any further transactions won’t be captured for that day”.
“If a excessive error fee was detected the software program would have to be reworked.”
A doc known as “Seize Troubleshooting Information” from April 1993 – over a yr after the steering group famous faults – once more described “corrupt information” similar to incorrect transaction values.
It concluded that the “trigger” of this was “switching off the pc or an influence lower (even when just for a couple of seconds) while within the Seize programme”.
It additionally put ahead directions to treatment the fault.
Rupert Lloyd-Thomas, campaigner for Seize victims, mentioned: “The Publish Workplace knew … in 1992, lengthy earlier than the launch, that Seize may very well be zapped by an influence lower.
“They did nothing about it.”
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Steve Marston
Steve Marston, who was convicted of stealing from his Publish Workplace department in 1998 after utilizing Seize, mentioned the data “did not come as any shock”.
“They’ve recognized because the very starting it ought to by no means have been launched,” he added.
A Publish Workplace spokesperson mentioned: “We’ve got been very involved concerning the reported issues referring to the usage of the Seize software program and are sincerely sorry for previous failings which have precipitated struggling to postmasters.
“In September 2024, Kroll printed an impartial report which examined the Seize software program that was utilized in some Publish Workplace branches within the Nineteen Nineties and we absolutely co-operated with Kroll all through their investigation.
“We’re decided that previous wrongs are put proper and are persevering with to help the federal government’s work on this space.
“Publish Workplace has very restricted information referring to this method and we encourage anybody who has Seize associated materials to share it with Publish Workplace and the Prison Instances Evaluate Fee.”
