Justice Committee to hear from legal experts on the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill

12 April 2024

The Justice Committee will hear from legal experts on the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill as part of a one-off evidence session scrutinising the Government’s proposed landmark legislation relating to the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.

During the first part of the two-panel session, the cross-party Committee of MPs will examine the legal effect of the provisions of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill and analyse the constitutional implications of using legislation to quash the convictions of sub-postmasters.

The legislation, introduced in the Commons on 13 March 2024, would automatically quash convictions for specified offences of dishonesty (including false accounting, fraud and theft) that were prosecuted by the Post Office or the Crown Prosecution Service. Convictions that have already been considered by the Court of Appeal would be excluded from the Bill, according to the House of Commons library.

Witnesses

Tuesday 16 April, The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Panel 1 (2.30pm-3:30pm)

Joshua Rozenberg KC (Hon), journalist
Dr Robert Craig, Lecturer in Law, University of Bristol
Dr Hannah Quirk, Reader in Criminal law, King’s College London
Professor James Chalmers, Regius Professor of Law, University of Glasgow

Justice Committee to examine the impact of probate delays

The second panel, the second session of the Committee’s Probate inquiry will focus on the impact of probate delays. The Committee will explore whether the Ministry of Justice’s statements that the service has improved reflect the experience of practitioners and consider suggested improvements and mitigations.

Members may also ask professional probate practitioners questions about the law, how the application process works and its interaction with other processes, such as paying inheritance tax. During the inquiry’s first session in March, the Committee examined the significant impact of probate delays across the charitable sector, in particular organisations reliant on funding from gifts in wills.

The Committee launched its inquiry in November 2023 amid reports the Probate Registry has been experiencing significant delays. There are wider concerns about how effectively beneficiaries, executors and the bereaved are supported through the process.

The inquiry is taking evidence on capacity, resources and delays across the probate service and the impact of digitisation and centralisation, including the effectiveness of the online probate portal. It is looking at people’s experiences of applying for probate including how the administration of probate could be improved for people who are already coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.

Witnesses

Tuesday 16 April, The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Panel 2 (3.30pm-4.30pm)

Jo Summers, Private Wealth and Tax Partner, at Jurit
Stuart Simpson, Managing Director of End-of-Life Services, Equiniti

Further information

Image: UK Parliament/Tyler Allicock