Enhanced fees response and consultation on further fee proposals
Government response on enhanced fees for possession claims and general applications in civil proceedings, and further fee proposals for consultation.
This sets out the government response to the consultation on enhanced fees for possession claims and general applications in civil proceedings, and we are also seeking responses to further proposals for consultation.
As the Lord Chancellor set out recently, we are seeking to modernise HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and improve its efficiency. We need a properly funded service that protects access to justice and if we are to achieve that whilst reducing the cost of the courts and tribunals to the taxpayer we must also look again at the fees we charge.
It is in this context, following the consultation, that we are putting forward measures to increase fees in possession claims and general applications within civil proceedings and to increase the fee for issuing divorce proceedings, but to a lesser extent than originally consulted upon.
In addition, we have today published a further consultation on a number of new fees proposals. This consultation proposes new or increased fees in a range of court and tribunal proceedings.
The deadline for responses is 15 September 2015.
The government will consider the responses we receive to the further consultation and set out how we intend to proceed in a government response in due course.