HC Deb 18 April 1978 vol 948 cc130-1W
Mr. Rost

asked the Attorney-General why photocopying charges by solicitors are limited to 10p per copy by the Lord Chancellor's Department when county courts charge 25p per copy.

The Solicitor-General

Photocopying charges by solicitors are not fixed by the Lord Chancellor's Department. Those recoverable as part of the costs of litigation are prescribed by the Rule Committee. The amount prescribed for a photocopy on scale 4 is 25p per A3 page, which is the same as the fee charged under the county court fees order for a photographic copy of a document produced by the court. The solicitor's charges for photocopies are somewhat lower for smaller sizes of paper and on scales 1, 2 and 3.

When copies are produced by the court, the court officials have to extract the originals from the court file. Sometimes the court is also involved in the extra work of examining the copy and marking it as an office copy for which no additional charge is made.