Helen Morgan speaks up for Post Office scandal victims

MP Helen Morgan spoke out for a constituent who “lost everything” because of the Post Office scandal as she urged the Government to pay the compensation victims deserve.

The North Shropshire MP stood up in the House of Commons to raise the case of a local subpostmaster who lost her life savings and had to borrow thousands of pounds to make up for shortfalls in her account that did not really exist.

The subpostmaster has asked to remain anonymous because of a non-disclosure agreement she was forced to sign as part of the group litigation order which saw her and other victims given far less compensation than they deserved.

After meeting the subpostmaster and speaking to other local residents affected by the faulty Horizon system, Helen highlighted their ongoing concerns in Parliament.

Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake MP agreed to meet Helen to discuss the specifics of the case and made assurances that their claims will be properly and independently assessed.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Helen Morgan, said, “I have a constituent who was part of the group litigation order. They were not convicted, because the process was paused in 2015, but they have pretty much lost everything, having borrowed substantial amounts of money to make up the shortfall over a long period of time.

“They have now been told that the £75,000 up-front payment would be net of any interim payment that they have received. They are not confident to go forward with the full assessment, because of some of the highly publicised very low—derisory—compensations that have been offered.

“Can the Minister offer my constituent any reassurance that it is worthwhile pursuing that extensive and independently assessed claim? My assessment is that they have lost significantly more than £75,000.”

Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake replied, “If that is the case, they should definitely submit a claim. I am very happy to meet the hon. Lady to talk about her particular constituent. I am aware that some individuals have come forward and said that they received derisory offers. We urge them to engage with the rest of the process, which has not yet happened. There is an independent panel for the GLO scheme. Again, I would direct her to the actual performance of the GLO compensation scheme so far: 58 full claims received; 48 offers made; and 41 offers accepted without reference to the independent panel, which would tend to indicate that the offers being made are fair. However, I do understand that the people affected by this will not be satisfied by my assurances until they have gone through the process. I urge her to tell her constituent to do exactly that.”