Think again and help Scottish victims now
Yousaf urges Tory government to quash convictions UK-wide
The UK Government should “think again” on making its horizon Bill UK-wide, Scotland’s First Minister has said.
The legislation – which will quash the convictions of sub-postmasters as a result of faults with the Post Office IT system – will cover only England and Wales.
Humza Yousaf said he was “greatly disappointed” that is the case but stressed steps can still be taken to change that.
Speaking yesterday, he urged the Government to “think again” but said the Scottish Government is working on bringing forward a Bill.
“We’ve been working on Scottish-specific legislation,” he said. “I’ve been having regular discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.” But Scottish legislation will have to wait until the Westminster Bill passes to ensure there is no friction between the two that could impact on the settlements offered to those impacted by Horizon.
Yousaf continued: “The difficulty of course with Scottish-specific legislation is we’ll have to wait to see the details of UK-specific legislation, not just when it’s introduced, but as it gets amended through the UK parliamentary process.”
Some reports suggest the UK Bill may not be passed until July, which would mean Holyrood would be in recess and unable to pass its own legislation until September.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake pledged to work with the administrations in Edinburgh and Belfast.
“We are fully committed to work with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive through regular weekly official-level engagement to progress their own approaches,” he said.