MINISTERS must do whatever it takes to clear remaining claims in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme by the end of this year, a select committee said today.

The business and trade select committee also urged Fujitsu to make an interim payment “immediately” to support affected Post Office subpostmasters.

Hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongfully convicted of stealing between 1999 and 2015, after Fujitsu’s Horizon system made it look like money was missing from their branches.

The government has told the committee that redress claims “may not all be settled in 2026,” citing “very complex elements” requiring consideration.

The committee rejected this, calling for a clear deadline for full payment.

Committee chair Liam Byrne said: “The government must now throw whatever resource is needed at these schemes to ensure every outstanding Horizon Shortfall claim is settled by the end of this year.

“Fujitsu must also stop sitting on the sidelines.

“It is extraordinary that a company at the heart of the greatest miscarriage of justice in British history has still failed to set out either the scale or the timetable for its contribution to compensation.”

The Business and Trade Department and Fujitsu were contacted for comment.