Restorative Justice Council publishes Horizon Project report
The Restorative Justice Council has today published a report setting out the next phase of activity for the Horizon Project, a national restorative justice programme for those impacted by the Horizon IT Scandal.
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Before going into any detail, we would all like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise again for the damage that our organisations have caused to every person who has been affected by the Horizon IT scandal. We are appalled by the failures that led to this most widespread miscarriage of justice.
However, we also recognise that a general apology such as this one is nowhere near sufficient. We are committed to:
- working with the Restorative Justice Council over the coming months to continue to lay a firm foundation for direct and personal apologies where we can
- supporting a wider and longer-term programme of restorative justice to make amends in other ways
- the need for public acknowledgement and memorialisation of the injustices suffered and recognition of individuals’ unjust suffering
demand for personalised and meaningful apologies – whether public or private
- opportunities for those affected to come together to share experiences and collectively seek national recognition
- practical actions – for instance mental health support, family counselling, and opportunities for communal healing through leisure and therapeutic activities
- frustration with the pace of the process of redress. The department and Post Office continue to strive to ensure that redress is full, fair and prompt. The pace of redress has increased markedly. Over £1.2 billion in redress has been paid, a five-fold increase since July 2024. Nonetheless, the department and Post Office recognise that more remains to be done
- a desire to see those responsible for the scandal held to account. The second volume of the Inquiry’s report will provide essential underpinning for such accountability. The Metropolitan Police already have over 100 staff engaged in its Operation Olympos. The bodies regulating lawyers and auditors are also undertaking investigations
- demands that the 3 organisations demonstrate that they have learned from the scandal and taken actions to prevent anything similar happening again. The department, Fujitsu Services Limited and the Post Office are taking a wide range of action to address the lessons of the scandal and will consider how to demonstrate that in the context of this restorative justice programme. All our organisations hope to be able to speak directly to postmasters through the restorative justice programme to address their concerns