Law to clear Post Office victims should be UK-wide, says Naomi Long

New legislation to clear people wrongly convicted in the Post Office scandal should be UK-wide, Stormont's justice minister has said.

The law is expected to come into effect by the end of July and will apply to convictions in England and Wales.

Naomi Long said she was "deeply disappointed" it will not apply in NI as it would be the fastest solution.

She will now "urgently review" options to provide an alternative remedy for sub-postmasters in Northern Ireland.

Although campaigners won the right to have their cases reconsidered, as of January 2024, only 95 convictions had been overturned.

In January, the government announced it would seek to reverse all convictions resulting from the scandal but it was not clear if it would apply in Northern Ireland, which at that stage remained without a devolved government.

Power-sharing was restored at Stormont in early February.

Alliance leader Naomi Long was elected as Justice Minister, and in that role has oversight of the operation of courts in Northern Ireland.

Asked if her department was considering similar legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters in Northern Ireland, she said they should "receive swift justice and equitable treatment in line with their counterparts in the rest of the UK".

But she added that as postal services are reserved to Westminster, applying the law UK-wide would be "the best way forward".

"This would also be the fastest legislative solution and avoids differential treatment between jurisdictions, including in terms of accessing compensation," she added.

"I am deeply disappointed that the UK Government has decided to legislate in England and Wales only, having indicated publicly their desire to legislate UK-wide.

"In light of this decision, I will now urgently review the options available to provide an alternative remedy for sub-postmasters in Northern Ireland."

It is not clear how quickly the minister could decide on an option and could have to seek approval from the wider Stormont executive before bringing any legislation to the assembly.

Michael Madden represents 30 sub-postmasters, five of whom have convictions

Michael Madden, who represents sub-postmasters in Northern Ireland, said he is concerned that if the legislation is to go through Stormont it will slow the process down.

Since the return of the executive, there's already a long list of things to do for ministers after 24 months of political paralysis.

Mr Madden said that if the legislation to clear convictions of sub-postmasters in Northern Ireland does not "run smoothly through the executive", some of his clients will be left in a "worse position compared to other cases in the UK".

"Some of my clients have been going through this for over 20 years, further delays will only add to their ongoing distress," he added.