Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026

Letter from the Minister from Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls relating to correcting data reported at Committee session on 6 January, 5 March 2026

Inquiry: Post Office Horizon scandal: Justice for sub-postmasters

Summary

The Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls writes to correct data errors in the Ministry of Justice's management information on Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 implementation, previously reported to the Committee in December 2025 and January 2026. Three counting errors affected case numbers: records received reported as 963 (actually 950), cases with insufficient data reported as 55 (actually 40), and total cases to assess reported as 1002 (actually 1004). Corrected figures show 1004 cases requiring assessment as of 24 October 2025, with 1001 (99.7%) assessed.

Key findings

Three data errors in the MoJ's October 2025 management information release: records received overstated by 13 cases, insufficient data cases overstated by 15, and total assessment cases understated by 2
Corrected figures show 950 cases from Post Office and CPS, 68 self-identified cases, and 44 from Royal Mail Group; combined total of 1004 cases requiring assessment against the Act's criteria
The counting error did not represent missing casework but rather an accounting discrepancy in how figures were reconciled in the management information release
As of 24 October 2025, the MoJ had assessed 1001 of 1004 cases (99.7% completion rate)
Corrections will be published on 12 March 2026 with clear notation of errors and amendments; the Minister requested embargo on this letter until publication date

Tone

Procedural

Topics

post-office-scandalpublic-financegovernment-transparency

Key actors

Alex Davies-Jones MP, Liam Byrne, Ministry of Justice, Post Office, Crown Prosecution Service, Royal Mail Group

Notable line

“Unfortunately, it has been discovered that some of data reported in this publication, and referred to in my above engagement with the committee, contained the following three errors”

Key Quotes

“To confirm, this counting error did not mean that there were two cases 'missing' from our casework, the y were simply not accounted for in this management information release.”
— Alex Davies-Jones MP · Clarifying the nature of the data error and its practical implications for the Department's casework

“I therefore request that the data contained within this letter remains under embargo until 12 March”
— Alex Davies-Jones MP · Requesting confidentiality pending publication of corrected data

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗