Response to MoJ fees consultation

YLAL Response to Ministry of Justice consultation on further court fees proposals

On 15 September 2015, YLAL submitted its response to the MoJ’s consultation on proposals to further increase court fees. The consultation paper outlined the Government’s aim of covering the entire cost of the court service through fee income. Our response highlights the impact that the proposed increases will have on vulnerable members in society and access to justice more generally. Moreover, we expressed our concern that the Government has not provided evidence of how the income generated by previous court fee increases has been used to improve access to justice or the efficient running of the court system.

In our conclusion we set out our position: “We have strong concerns about the impact of the Ministry of Justice further fees proposals on access to justice. YLAL fundamentally opposes the use of court fees as a way of achieving the Government’s aim to cover the entire cost of the courts’ system through court fees. We believe that the court system plays an essential role in a democratic society and should therefore be funded by the Government. Individuals seeking access to justice should not be required to subsidise one of the Government’s most basic responsibilities.”

Download our full response below.