Post Office sub-postmasters are still reporting unexplained problems with the flawed Horizon IT system, damning survey reveals

Post Office sub-postmasters are still reporting unexplained problems with the flawed Horizon IT system, research has revealed.

Almost seven in ten sub-postmasters said they had experienced at least one ‘unexplained discrepancy’ in the accounting system since January 2020, years after faults in the software first came to light.

A poll by YouGov found that almost half of sub-postmasters continued to be unhappy with the system, and some were still experiencing shortfalls in their accounts.

The findings were made public as the inquiry resumed into the Post Office scandal, which saw more than 700 workers wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015.

Faults in Fujitsu’s Horizon software showed money was missing from Post Office branch accounts and led to one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

Post Office sub-postmasters are still reporting unexplained problems with the flawed Horizon IT system, research has revealed

The Post Office continues to use the system despite heavy criticism over the scandal

The Post Office continues to use the system despite heavy criticism over the scandal.

The YouGov survey of 1,015 sub-postmasters found that 49 per cent were ‘dissatisfied’ with how the Horizon system currently operated.

A quarter said they were happy with it.

The vast majority of those surveyed — 92 per cent — said they had experienced a problem within the last 12 months.

Almost seven in ten (69 per cent) had suffered an unexplained discrepancy on the Horizon system since January 2020.

More than a third (35 per cent) said it had happened at least once a month, including 17 per cent who said it could happen a few times a month.

The wrongful prosecution of more than 900 people was the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history (pictured: Alan Bates, former sub-postmaster and founder of Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance leaving Portcullis House in London) 

Of those who experienced discrepancies, almost all (98 per cent) said they were shortfalls in their accounts, although 34 per cent said they had also experienced surpluses.

Unexplained transactions also affected 19 per cent of those surveyed, with missing transactions affecting 14 per cent.

Screen freezes were the most common problem, affecting 70 per cent.

Overall, 72 per cent of the sub-postmasters in the survey said they felt undervalued by the Post Office and just under half (48 per cent) said they felt dissatisfied with their role, compared to 31 per cent who said they were satisfied.

Less than a third said they believed the Post Office was trying to improve its relationship with its sub-postmasters.

More than a half (55 per cent) believed the terms of their contract were unfair, including 32 per cent who felt they were very unfair.

A second survey about the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) found that 49 per cent of applicants said they felt dissatisfied, and that 78 per cent had not received any contact from a compensation case assessor.

Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells leaving the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry on May 24

Faults in Fujitsu’s Horizon software showed money was missing from Post Office branch accounts and led to one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history 

The scheme offers a £75,000 payment for those who were affected by the Horizon faults but were not covered by other compensation schemes offered to those who have had their convictions quashed or won a High Court lawsuit against the Post Office.

Former sub-postmaster Sir Alan Bates, who was awarded a knighthood for his work to highlight the scandal, has criticised delays in compensation for all of those affected.

In a statement, the Post Office said: ‘We are focused on supporting the inquiry to reach its independent conclusions.

‘Hearing directly from former and current postmasters is an important part of this work.

‘We are determined to learn lessons from the past and improve the organisation for our postmasters and the 10 million customers who rely on us each week.

‘The ongoing public inquiry is an important way for us to achieve these aims and we will not be commenting outside of the inquiry at this time.’