Government says no conflict of interest in trial despite Post Office chairman’s dual role

The government has said there is no conflict of interest in the current litigation against the Post Office as a result of Post Office chairman Tim Parker’s role with HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

In response to written questions, the government said that the HMCTS board, on which Parker sits, has no involvement in individual cases and that HMCTS does not influence outcomes.

The written questions were from MP Kevan Jones to the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) on the costs of the trial to the public purse, as well as concerns that there could be a conflict of interest because the Post Office chairman is also the independent chair of HMCTS.

Jones asked whether BEIS would “determine the extent of any conflict of interest on the part of Tim Parker by reason of his dual roles”.

The department replied: “There is no conflict of interest. The chairman of the HMCTS board has no involvement in individual cases, including listings or hearings. HMCTS manages the administration of courts and tribunals and has no influence over the outcome of hearings, which are decisions entirely for the independent judiciary.”

The case, a group litigation order, involves about 550 subpostmasters, who run local Post Office branches, suing the Post Office for damages for suffering they claim was caused by faults in the Horizon IT system they use to run their branches.

The plight of some subpostmasters was first reported in 2009, when Computer Weekly revealed how their lives had been turned upside-down after being fined, sacked, made bankrupt or even imprisoned because of unexplained accounting shortfalls. They blamed the Horizon accounting and retail system for the problems, but the Post Office has refuted this (see timeline below).

The case is currently part-way through the second of four planned trials. The first trial, held in November 2018, focused on the contract between subpostmasters and the Post Office. Judge Fraser, the managing judge, handed down his judgment in March, in which he was critical of the Post Office’s business practices and some of its witnesses.

At the end of the second week of trial two, which is examining the Horizon computer system, the Post Office legal team made an application for the judge to recuse (remove) himself from the case for alleged bias. The judge has since rejected this and the Post Office is seeking permission to take the matter to the Court of Appeal. The Post Office has also said it will appeal some of the judgments in the first trial.

Costs of the litigation are mounting, with tens of millions of pounds already spent.

Jones also asked BEIS whether public money had been used to pay costs involved in the ongoing dispute with subpostmasters since 2000.

The department responded: “The courts are the right place to hear and resolve what are long-standing issues between some postmasters and the Post Office. While this matter rests with the courts, it is inappropriate for the government to comment further. The legal defence of this litigation and the costs involved in doing so are being handled by Post Office Ltd, which operates as an independent, commercial business within the strategic parameters set by government.”

It gave the same answer for other questions about costs.

For the full questions and answers, read here.

Timeline of the Post Office Horizon case since Computer Weekly first reported on it in 2009

• May 2009: Bankruptcy, prosecution and disrupted livelihoods – postmasters tell their story.
• September 2009: Postmasters form action group after accounts shortfall.
• November 2009: Post Office theft case deferred over IT questions.
• February 2011: Post Office faces legal action over alleged accounting system failures.
• October 2011: 85 subpostmasters seek legal support in claims against Post Office computer system.
• June 2012: Post Office launches external review of system at centre of legal disputes.
• January 2013: Post Office admits Horizon system needs more investigation.
• January 2013: Post Office announces amnesty for Horizon evidence.
• January 2013: Post Office wants to get to bottom of IT system allegations.
• June 2013: Investigation into Post Office accounting system to drill down on strongest cases.
• July 2013: Post Office Horizon system investigation reveals concerns.
• October 2013: End in sight for subpostmaster claims against Post Office’s Horizon accounting system.
• October 2013: Former Lord Justice of Appeal Hooper joins Post Office Horizon investigation.
• November 2013: 150 subpostmasters file claims over ‘faulty’ Horizon accounting system.
• September 2014: Fresh questions raised over Post Office IT system’s role in fraud cases.
• December 2014: MPs blast Post Office over IT system investigation and remove backing.
• December 2014: Why MPs lost faith in the Post Office’s IT investigation, but vowed to fight on.
• December 2014: MPs to debate subpostmaster IT injustice claims.
• December 2014: MP accuses Post Office of acting “duplicitously” in IT investigation.
• January 2015: MPs force inquiry into Post Office subpostmaster mediation scheme.
• January 2015: Post Office faces grilling by MPs over Horizon accounting system.
• February 2015: Post Office CIO will talk to any subpostmaster about IT problems, promises CEO.
• March 2015: Post Office ends working group for IT system investigation day before potentially damaging report.
• March 2015: MPs seek reassurance over Post Office mediation scheme.
• March 2015: Retiring MP aims to uncover truth of alleged Post Office computer system problems.
• April 2015: Post Office failed to investigate account shortfalls before legal action, report claims.
• April 2015: Criminal Courts Review Commission set to review subpostmasters’ claims of wrongful prosecution.
• May 2015: IT system related to subpostmaster prosecutions under review by CCRC.
• June 2015: Post Office looking to replace controversial Horizon system with IBM, says MP.
• July 2015: Campaigners call for independent inquiry into Post Office Horizon IT system dispute.
• October 2015: James Arbuthnot takes Post Office IT fight to House of Lords.
• November 2015: The union that represents Post Office subpostmasters has warned of a problem with the Horizon accounting system.
• November 2015: An email from Post Office IT support reveals a problem with the Horizon system and supporting processes that could lead to accounting errors.
• November 2015: Group litigation against Post Office being prepared in Horizon dispute.
• February 2016: Post Office faces group litigation over Horizon IT as subpostmasters fund class action.
• June 2016: Post Office chairman Tim Parker says there would be “considerable risk” associated with changing its Horizon computer system.
• November 2016:The legal team hired by a group of subpostmasters will take their case to the next stage.
• January 2017: The group action against the Post Office that alleges subpostmasters have been wrongly punished for accounting errors gets a green light from the High Court of Justice.
• March 2017: 1,000 subpostmasters apply to join IT-related group litigation against Post Office.
• April 2017: Investigation into claims of miscarriages of justice in relation to a Post Office accounting system has appointed a forensic accountant firm.
• May 2017: Hundreds of subpostmasters have applied to join IT-related legal action since March.
• July 2017: Post Office defence in computer system legal case due this week.
• August 2017: Campaigners submit initial evidence in group litigation against Post Office over controversial Horizon IT system.
• October 2017: Subpostmasters’ group action against the Post Office reaches an important milestone.
• November 2017: An end is in sight for subpostmasters’ campaign against alleged wrongful prosecution, which they blame on a faulty computer system.
• November 2017: The high court judge managing the subpostmasters versus Post Office legal case over an allegedly faulty computer system tells legal teams to cooperate.
• January 2018: Forensic investigation into Post Office IT system at centre of legal case nears completion.
• April 2018: Criminal Cases Review Commission forensic examination of the IT system at the centre of a legal case against the Post Office has raised further questions.
• May 2018: Post Office branches unable to connect to Horizon computer system for several hours after morning opening time.
• October 2018: After over a decade of controversy, next week marks the beginning of a court battle between subpostmasters and the Post Office.
• November 2018: Case against Post Office in relation to allegedly faulty computer system begins in High Court.
• November 2018: High Court case in which subpostmasters are suing the Post Office has revealed a known problem with a computer system at the core of the dispute.
• November 2018: A High Court trial, where subpostmasters are suing the Post Office for damages caused by an allegedly faulty IT system, ends second week.
• November 2018: Post Office director admits to Horizon errors and not sharing details with subpostmaster network.
• November 2018: The High Court trial in which subpostmasters are suing the Post Office has reached an important stage.
• December 2018: CCRC may hold off subpostmaster decision until after Post Office Horizon trial.
• December 2018: Court case where subpostmasters are suing the Post Office set to span at least four trials and extend into 2020.
• January 2019: Subpostmasters’ campaign group attacks Post Office CEO Paula Vennells’ New Year honour amid ongoing court case.
• January 2019: Thousands of known errors on controversial Post Office computer system to be revealed.
• March 2019: Tech under spotlight at High Court in second subpostmasters versus Post Office trial.
• March 2019: Post Office considered Horizon IT system “high risk”, court told.
• March 2019: Post Office ‘lacked humanity’ in the treatment of subpostmasters, says peer
• March 2019: CCRC watching Post Office Horizon trial closely
• March 2019: Judge rules that Post Office showed “oppressive behaviour” in response to claimants accused of accounting errors they blamed on Horizon IT system.
• March 2019: A high court judge heard that the Post Office did not investigate a computer system error that could cause losses, despite being offered evidence.
• March 2019: The Post Office legal team in the case brought by more than 500 subpostmasters has called for the judge to be recused after questioning his impartiality.
• March 2019: A senior civil servant asked the Post Office to repay public money it had wrongly allocated to paying legal costs.
• April 2019: Subpostmaster claimants’ legal team makes application for the Post Office to pay millions of pounds of costs associated with trial.
• April 2019: Post Office to appeal judgment from first Horizon trial.
• April 2019: The Post Office’s claim that the judge overseeing the case concerning its controversial Horizon IT system was biased has been dismissed – but will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.
• April 2019: Labour MP asks the government about the costs associated with the Post Office Horizon legal battle.