Post Office Horizon scandal victim lays into demolition of Post Office in Select Committee

it's a dead duck and it has been for years it's going to be a money pip for the taxpayer for years to come you sell it to someone like Amazon for a pound get really good contracts for all the serving sub postmasters and within a few years you'll have one of the best networks around based on what you've heard this morning Mr Bates are you any more comfortable or reassured that the government has now got a grip of this process for providing redress no I'm afraid enough it's very disappointing and this has been going for years as you well know and I can't see any end to it obviously unacceptable three years eight months and in yourself Mr debates with everything you've been through and obviously made yourself very high profile rightly so uh in taking this forward the obviously the current government statements about the forthcoming legislation does not propose any measures for members of the Glo group I was just Keen to understand do you think that's a mistake in your opinion I don't know know what you can do other than than you know remove the whole scheme away from government itself Al in the department and try and do it elsewhere but I I mean we keep coming back to This Time After Time After Time pay people there's a lot of distractions a lot of other things have brought up thrown up all the time but just get on and pay people and it's it I mean we've heard figures this morning given perfect examples of how long it is going to take um there are people refuse to give deadlines now because they can't meet them I mean that suggestion that I put in I think earlier about paying people ,000 a a day or them being charged a th000 that is actually compensation and that should go to the actual claimant involved I mean everyone keeps referring to the scheme understandably as a compensation scheme but it's not it's Financial redress this is money these people are actually owed and they've been Ed owed it for year compensation sounds it's like something the benefit at the whim of government and all the rest of it let's get it right and let's really push forward on on that aspect of it lots of victims have said to us that when they're asked to apply for redress it's almost like they've got a blindfold on because they haven't got the information often the post office has got the information but they're having to submit a claim form without that information is that a common problem well doubt was always me to be in favor of the claimant I'm not sure that's happening the second issue that's come up a lot is that when an offer is given it's it's a bit of a black box as to how that's been worked out because there's no standard tariffs for example calculating reputational damage and it's really difficult therefore to assess whether what's been tabled is in any way Fair because there's no explanation for how the offer's been put together is that a problem um well the claims fall into two I mean the lawyers are better to speak to you about this but I mean it's the pecuniary and the non- Peary isn't it the the items that where they PID back money or it's it's lost to the house it's the other side that causes the problems normally it's the the stress the the problems that have caused psychologically to people on all that side where it's a lot harder for them to take those those issues forward and then we've got this kind of David and Li struggle whereby claimants are given maybe £1,200 of legal advice but you're up against one of the biggest law firms in the country contesting your claims there's an inequality of arms there when it comes to getting the final claim sorted I think you're referring to is the HSS scheme there in particular I really haven't had a lot to do with that I'm just concentrated on the Glo 500 is that an issue for the Glo scheme as well though uh it's it's different because as a different legal fee structure in there as it goes forward and and In fairness I think the lawyers are are dealing with most of the issues along the way and I want to ask you about the leadership of the first off so you've been involved for 20 25 years in which case there have been various changes in leadership um has at any time the arrival of a new chairman or a chief executive LED you to think ah there might be somebody new in charge that may change things Mr Bates given your experience in the matter I think over the years I've been dealing with post office that the culture's always been post office it hasn't changed it's been the same for donkeys years it will not change and you cannot change it my personal view about post office is it's a dead duck and it has been for years and it's going to be a money pit for the taxpayer for years to come and you should sell it to someone like Amazon for a pound get really good contracts for all the serving sub postm and within a few years you'll have one of the best networks around very radical proposal and not one I'm sure not one I'm sure that many of our constituents would be comfortable with but interestingly and I want to ask you about the leadership of the post offic so you've been involved for 20 25 years in which case there have been various changes in leadership um has at any time the arrival of a new chairman or a chief executive LED you to think ah there might be somebody new in charge that may change things debates to given your experience in the matter I think over the years I've been dealing with post office that the culture has always been post office hasn't changed it's been the same for donkey years it will not change and you cannot change it my personal view about post office is it's a dead duck and it has been for years and it's going to be a money pit for the taxpayer for years to come and you should sell it to someone like Amazon for a pound get really good contracts for all the serving sub postmasters and within a few years you'll have one of the best networks around a very radical proposal and not one I'm sure that not one I'm sure that many of our constituents would be comfortable with it's unfair on too many people this for and it's been going onone for far too long I don't know what can be done to speed it up you've got to get rid of the bureaucracy in there you've got to slim down the the processes in there and people are going to have to take other people's words interesting an observation of you know from the earlier Witnesses um was the fact of how much time was spent on someone signing off finally an offer and how how little time and one of the big problems I've found with this or I'm starting to find is those who are making the decisions about the actual claims or or what claims are going to be made do not meet the victims face to face and discuss it with them it's all done from an ivory Tower from someone else and Ticking a box and that that's it their job's done out the way does that lead to a lack of understanding of the position that you and your colleagues face yeah it is and I I I can explain that perhaps in in a way hopefully you understand I mean when we were campaigning for all of this over the years and people were saying you know I've tried to take this up with my mp and all the rest of it and the problems I'm having I'd say to them well look don't just write them a letter don't just phone them make an appointment go and see them tell them face to face what's gone on and I've heard from many people that what was meant to be a 15 or 20 minute surgery session has turned into a couple of hours because they've been so concerned about what they've heard face to face and I think that was that makes a big difference it's funny one of the ways I had thoughts of trying to resolve all this issue if this carries on much longer is for all of the the those in the Glo scheme to stand as MPS and then the next election come then we'll sort it out once and for all but uh it would be the priority but um I I don't know I I I mean I think so many facts let me give you an example though so we could change the law so that the post office is taken out of the redress scheme that might be a good idea oh yeah well yes but I I certainly I would go back to I I I want to clear up the disclosure issue first yeah I think that's that's the key thing to all of this well we could change the law so that the post office has a legally binding deadline for making the disclosures well that would be a good good thing IDE in your letter you've also suggested some legally binding timetables oh yes would that be a good idea I do and I do think there should be penalties involved where where they're not met and those penalties should go to the victims as I mentioned earlier not to any other person because that would then be compensation in for having to wait and delay uh well I just I think given us three very good Mr baates tests for what this new legislation needs to do

Channel: PoliticsJOE

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Keywords: Politics, UK politics, British politics, Parliament, Government, Westminster, news, breaking news, conversation, politics news, politicsjoe, joe songs, boris johnson song, boris johnson speech, keir starmer song, keir starmer speech, new media, novara, rishi sunak, labour party, conservative, tory party, conservatism, brexit, sub postmasters scandal, horizon it scandal, post office scandal, select committee, alan bates scandal

Id: gPf7HiqtjTw

Length: 9min 25sec (565 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 27 2024