Constituents have contacted me about Government contracts with Fujitsu.

As I have said about the Post Office scandal, like many of my Parliamentary colleagues across the House, I am appalled by the treatment of the sub-postmasters who were accused of theft based on flawed evidence from the Horizon IT system. Victims' accounts of the impact of these prosecutions are harrowing.

The Government established a Statutory Inquiry in 2020, led by Sir Wyn Williams, to establish the facts and uncover exactly what went wrong. When the Inquiry reports back on who was responsible, the Government can make a decision on whether it can work with Fujitsu in the future. In the meantime, Fujitsu has written to the Cabinet Office to say that it will not bid for public contracts while the inquiry into the Post Office scandal continues.

Additionally, let me stress that all Government contracts are awarded in line with procurement regulations and transparency guidelines. The Government has enhanced these regulations and guidelines by passing the Procurement Act 2023. The Act provides enhanced powers to take tougher action on underperforming suppliers and exclude suppliers who pose unacceptable risks.

Fiona Bruce MP

2nd February 2024