The Post Office has agreed to pay compensation to sub-postmasters whose personal details were published online.
In 2024, the Post Office published an unredacted settlement document on its website, which contained the names and addresses of subpostmasters affected by the Horizon scandal, as well as confidential information about their settlements and circumstances.
The sub-postmasters were represented by law firm Freeths, who secured an admission of the breach by the Post Office and, recognising the impact this has had on all the individuals affected, agreement from the Post Office to make these interim compensation payments without requiring claims to be issued, but also without limiting the scope for further claims to be pursued.
A Post Office spokesperson said: “Post Office can confirm that it has agreed to pay individuals whose names appeared in last year’s data breach either £5,000 or £3,500, depending on whether the individual was also living at the address at that time. Post Office has confirmed that it will consider any special cases if any individuals consider they are entitled to further amounts.
“We have written to all named individuals either directly, or via their solicitors. If there are any individuals whose name was impacted by last year’s breach, but who have not received information about the payment for some reason, they can contact us or ask their solicitors if they have legal representation.
“In the meantime, we remain in full cooperation with the ICO’s investigation which was opened following our initial self-referral when the breach was discovered.”
Partner and national head of data breach litigation, Will Richmond-Coggan, said: “We welcome the progress we have made with this case, but there is still a long way to go to recognise the devastating impact of this breach for those affected. My team will continue to use our considerable expertise in matters like these to secure a final resolution to this situation which reflects the severity of the impact on our clients.”
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