Lord Irvine: under pressure

Row Over Court Fees

At the beginning of this year the Conservative Lord Chancellor, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, introduced substantial increases in court fees: for example, a divorce petition went up from £80 to £150. There were also new fees.

During a debate in the House of Lords, the former law lord, Lord Ackner, is to argue that increased fees in the civil courts of England and Wales deprive people of their constitutional right to go to court. He is to urge the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, to reduce them.

Lord Ackner warns that "ordinary people" may lose their access to justice

Speaking on BBC radio Lord Ackner said that unless changes are made many people who are not eligable for legal aid will simply not be able to to afford to go to court.

He criticised the current Government's attitude saying that unless their were changes litigants could expect to pay for all the expenses incurred while in court even down to "the milk for the office cat".

But the new Lord Chancellor is not expected to make any immediate changes in the fee structure he inherited. Lord Irvine is expected to argue that he cannot reduce court fees without depriving others of access to justice.

He is likely to keep existing exemptions, some of them imposed by the judges, but apart from that he believes that court users must pay court costs when they can afford to do so.