CONSULTATION ON COURT FEES INCREASE : GET INVOLVED

As we all know there are proposals to increase court fees to (frankly ridiculous) amounts. It is important that everyone takes part in the consultation process.  (Some may say that the MOJ is about to make the same counter-productive mistakes that Parliament found it made with legal aid,* but I could not possibly comment).  There are many who say that the increase in court fees will be disastrous, counter-productive and downright stupid – and these people are right.

THE CONSULTATION PROCESS: SEND THEM TO ME AS WELL

There is a further consultation which closes on the 27th February.  If anyone has responses which they are happy for me to publish I will set up a page on this blog setting out the responses.

THE CONSULTATION PROCESS
“Further consultation

The further proposals for raising fee income to make good the financial shortfall are simple and straightforward measures to address financial pressures. They will therefore be subject to a short, focussed, six week consultation period which will close on 27 February 2015.

The Government will consider the responses set out how we intend to proceed when we publish the Government Response.

About this consultation

This consultation is aimed at users of the civil court system, the legal profession, the judiciary, the advice sector, and all those with an interest in the civil court system.

To:

From 16 January 2015 to 27 February 2015 Duration:

Michael Odulaja, Ministry of Justice,

102 Petty France , London SW1H 9AJ

Tel: 020 3334 4417

Fax: 020 3334 2233

Email: mojfeespolicy@justice.gsi.gov.uk

Enquiries (including requests for the paper in an

alternative format) to:

Please send your response by 27 February 2015

Michael Odulaja

Ministry of Justice

102 Petty France

London SW1H 9AJ

Tel: 020 3334 4417

Fax: 020 3334 2233

Email: mojfeespolicy@justice.gsi.gov.uk

* WHAT THE COMMONS SELECT COMMITTEE SAID ABOUT REDUCTION OF LEGAL AID (AND WILL PROBABLY SAY ABOUT THE INCREASE IN COURT FEES).*

“Access to justice is one of the most fundamental principles of our society, and the purpose of legal aid is to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable people enjoy that basic right.

So it is deeply disturbing that the Ministry of Justice’s changes to civil legal aid were based not on evidence but on an objective to cut costs as quickly as possible. The Permanent Secretary told us that “the level of spend” was the “critical” factor driving the reforms.

The Ministry still does not understand what its reforms mean for people. It has little understanding of why people go to court and how and why people access legal aid in the first place, and only commissioned research into these issues in 2014 – more than a year after its reforms were implemented.

There are signs that the complexity of the justice system may be preventing people who are no longer eligible for civil legal aid from securing effective access to justice.”