A report has found that the government has not taken adequate steps to ensure that those affected by the Post Office scandal have received compensation. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) noted that many sub-postmasters who were wrongly accused or convicted have yet to receive fair and timely redress. The government has no plans to follow up with eligible individuals, despite only receiving responses from one in five sub-postmasters regarding compensation. However, the Department for Business and Trade claims to have paid out over £1 billion in compensation so far. There are four main compensation schemes available, and eligibility varies depending on each case. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted due to the faulty Horizon IT system. Some were imprisoned, while others lost their livelihoods and some even passed away while awaiting justice. Despite government promises to speed up payouts, many victims are still waiting for financial redress. The PAC report, based on a period before the last election, also reflects the current government’s record. As of March this year, only 339 out of 800 eligible individuals have chosen the flat payout sum offered by the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme. The government has no plans to follow up with potential claimants who have not yet applied, and the value of expected claims is still unclear. The PAC has made recommendations to ensure that all postmasters are aware of their options for claiming compensation. However, a former sub-postmaster who was wrongly accused stated that the current compensation processes are not working. The public inquiry into the Post Office scandal is set to publish its final report on 8 July. The PAC also found that the government’s efforts to recover fraud losses through the Bounce Back Loan Scheme have been largely unsuccessful, with an estimated £1.9 billion lost to fraud and only £130 million recovered from lenders. The report criticizes the government for placing primary responsibility on lenders for recovering losses, as there is no incentive for them to do so when their losses are fully underwritten by the government.
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