The Ministry of Justice has launched a consultation into the possibility of substantially raising court fees.
Under the proposals, the maximum fee payable for financial claims, such as those arising in a divorce settlement, would double to £20,000. Currently, a fee of five per cent on the amount claimed is payable, but to a maximum of just £10,000. A ten per cent increase in the fees payable in other civil cases is also proposed.
In a letter to the chair of the Commons Justice Committee, Justice Minister Shailesh Vara insisted that the courts must play their part in a “national effort” to reduce spending and eliminate the deficit. The scope for further efficiency savings was limited, he added, noting that Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Services costs £1 billion per year more to run than it generates in income.
Read the consultation here.
