Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Sir Alan Bates’s proposal, as recorded by Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee, was for the Government to aim to complete Group Litigation Order (GLO) redress claims by March 2025 wherever possible. The available parliamentary record does not verify that Bates personally told the Prime Minister to guarantee that deadline. Nor was the Government’s stated expectation that every claim would be settled: it expected to pay the great majority of GLO claimants by 31 March.
What did Bates want completed by March 2025?
The committee’s recommendation says: “The Government should aim wherever possible to complete Group Litigation Order redress claims by March 2025 as suggested to us in evidence from Sir Alan Bates.” That is the committee’s account of evidence from Bates, not a verbatim statement by him or proof of a direct exchange with the Prime Minister. The distinction matters: the record supports a proposed completion aim, not the stronger claim that Bates personally secured a guarantee from the Prime Minister. Business and Trade Committee report.
What did the Government say it would achieve?
In a House of Lords statement on 27 February 2025, the Government said it expected the great majority of GLO claimants to have received redress by 31 March. A target for the great majority is not a promise that every claim would be completed by that date. The statement said £128 million, including interim payments, had been paid to postmasters under the GLO scheme. House of Lords statement, 27 February 2025.
Did all GLO claims finish by the deadline?
No. On 25 March 2025, the Business and Trade Committee reported that more than 4,000 claimants were still waiting to settle their claims. It also reported that more than £768 million had been paid as of 28 February and said the Government’s response fell short of changes needed to speed redress. Those figures have different dates and scopes from the Government’s 27 February GLO payment figure; they should not be treated as like-for-like totals. Business and Trade Committee statement, 25 March 2025.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
Which victims were covered by the GLO scheme?
The GLO scheme concerned members of the group that took the Post Office to the High Court who did not have a Horizon-related conviction. The Department for Business and Trade administered it. Eligible claimants could accept a £75,000 settlement or seek a full assessment, according to the committee’s report. The scheme should not be conflated with compensation routes for people whose convictions were overturned or with the Horizon Shortfall Scheme. Business and Trade Committee report.
When reading a redress figure or deadline, check four things:
- Claimant group: which scheme and cohort the number covers.
- Milestone: whether it refers to an offer, a settled claim or a payment.
- Measurement date: when the total or status was recorded.
- Coverage: whether the target means the great majority or every claimant.
These distinctions explain why a large cumulative payment total does not, by itself, show that all claims have been resolved.
How did redress discussions continue after March 2025?
The Inquiry’s Volume 1 report, published in July 2025 and based on evidence through 6 June, addressed the human impact and redress. It called for a clear meaning of full and fair financial redress and changes to how claims are assessed. Inquiry Chair Sir Wyn Williams described the objective as redress that is “full, fair and prompt.” Post Office Horizon Inquiry, Volume 1 report.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →In its October 2025 response, the Government accepted a process for redress to close family members who had suffered serious adverse consequences. It said it was considering the feasibility and options for an independent redress body, with a substantive statement planned by summer 2026. That was a stated future commitment, not confirmation that such a body had been established. Government response to Volume 1.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should the larger payment totals be understood?
The Department for Business and Trade said £663 million had been paid to more than 4,300 claimants as of 31 January 2025. That cumulative figure covered a broader set of claimants than the £128 million GLO figure announced in the Lords, so the two totals are not directly comparable. On 3 March 2025, the Government also announced that DBT would formally take over administration for postmasters with overturned convictions on 3 June 2025. Neither the cumulative total nor the administrative transfer announcement established that GLO claims were complete. Department for Business and Trade, 2025.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
