THE Post Office must be removed from its role handling compensation schemes for the Horizon scandal victims, MPs say.
Payouts are not being handed out quickly enough, a report by the Business and Trade select committee said.
Figures show just £499million of the budgeted £1.8billion has so far been paid out.
Committee chairman Liam Byrne said the organisation had lost its grip on the situation.
He expressed concerns about the Post Office’s handling of entitlements, stating that the process is excessively slow, resulting in individuals passing away before receiving justice.
According to him, the Post Office has faltered in its duties, leading to doubts about its capability to effectively administer such programs.
“So that’s why we say the Post Office has got to be taken out of the system altogether.”
The MPs also raised concerns about the fees being paid to legal teams at the heart of the redress schemes.
Legal fees have made up £136 million of the cost of administering the Post Office-led schemes since 2020 – 27% of the actual compensation paid out.
A Post Office spokesman said last night: “Working alongside Government, we are focused on paying redress as swiftly as possible.”
