Introduction to the Capture Redress Scheme
Sir Alan Bates told Sky News that the Government’s new Capture Redress Scheme was "half-baked". The activist, who may also be a victim of Capture, accused officials of failing to learn lessons from previous compensation failures.
The Postal Scandal
Capture was a faulty computer software used in about 2,500 stores between 1992 and 1999, before the infamous Horizon scandal. Many subpostmasters made up potentially false accounting deficits out of their own pockets, and at least dozens were convicted of theft.
Concerns with the Scheme
Sir Alan “generally welcomed” the introduction of the first-ever Capture Redress Scheme last week. However, he added: "It appears to have been half-baked as almost none of the lessons that should have been learned from the mistakes of the other Postmaster Schemes were taken into account when putting it together." Under current rules, applicants appear to have to submit a fully itemized claim before the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) decides whether they qualify – a process Sir Alan described as "crazy".
Proposed Solution
He called for a two-stage process: first confirming eligibility, then allowing victims to build their case with legal support – a model he said would save time and money and avoid unnecessary legal costs. Sir Alan may have been a victim of capture – and only realized it later – raises new concerns about how many others still don’t know.
Government Response
In a statement to Sky News, a government spokesman said: "After over two decades of fighting for justice, victims are finally receiving redress for being affected by the capture software and we pay tribute to everyone who worked to uncover this scandal." All eligible applicants will receive an interim payment of £10,000. In exceptional circumstances the independent panel may award more than £300,000, which is not a cap.
Flaws in the Capture Software
Documents seen by Sky News suggest the Post Office knew about flaws in the Capture computer software before it was introduced in 1992. In notes from a Capture steering group meeting in February – months before the system was rolled out to branches – files were described as "corrupted". Another error mentioned in the meeting notes was that "if part of the system was closed early to produce customer summaries, additional transactions may not have been recorded for that day."
Campaigner’s Response
Rupert Lloyd-Thomas, a campaigner for Capture victims, said: "The Post Office knew…in 1992, long before it was launched, that Capture could be crippled by a power outage." “They didn’t do anything about it.” A document called the "Capture Troubleshooting Guide" from April 1993 – more than a year after the steering group found errors – again described "corrupt data" such as incorrect transaction values.
Post Office Response
A Post Office spokesman said: "We were very concerned about the reported issues relating to the use of the capture software and sincerely regret past errors which have caused distress to postmasters." “In September 2024, Kroll released an independent report investigating capture software used at some post offices in the 1990s, and we cooperated fully with Kroll throughout the investigation. We are committed to ensuring that past injustices are redressed and continue to support the Government’s work in this area.”
