Fujitsu chief to face MPs grilling over Post Office compensation

The boss of Fujitsu's British operations will face a fresh grilling from MPs next month amid pressure on the Japanese software company to fork out hundreds of millions of pounds as part of the vast Horizon IT scandal compensation bill.

Sky News has learnt that Paul Patterson, director of Fujitsu Services, will be questioned by the Commons business and trade select committee on January 6 about its discussions with the government about a major financial contribution. Mr Patterson last appeared before the committee almost two years ago.

Fujitsu, which supplied the faulty Horizon system that led to hundreds of sub-postmasters being wrongly convicted of fraud and theft, has repeatedly acknowledged its obligation to bear part of the financial cost of compensating victims. The conclusion of Sir Wyn Williams's inquiry into the scandal is expected to pave the way for the company and the government to hammer out a final agreement on the size of its contribution.

A Fujitsu spokesperson said: "We remain committed to providing our full cooperation to the Inquiry as Sir Wyn prepares his final report, and we are engaged with government regarding Fujitsu's contribution to compensation." Next month's hearing will come soon after Fujitsu and the Post Office agreed a further extension of their Horizon supply agreement. The government-owned company is to pay another £41m to Fujitsu for the use of the Horizon system from next April until 31 March 2027.

The Post Office is expected to move to an alternative supplier after the expiry of that contract. Horizon was initially introduced in 1999, meaning it is likely to have been in service for nearly 30 years by the time it is formally abandoned by the Post Office.

A spokesperson for the business and trade committee declined to comment..