§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General by what criteria Her Majesty's Government decide whether barristers' and solicitors' fees are reasonable; what fee for a day or a week's work accords with the Government's prices and incomes policy; and what comparison, in arriving at this fee, is made with other professions.
§ The Attorney-GeneralCounsel's fees and solicitors' charges are not fixed by nor are the criteria governing them determined by the Government, but are subject to control under the Rules of Court or otherwise under statutory powers. Barristers' fees and solicitors' charges are subject to greater control than other professional earnings.
Unless the amounts to be allowed to the legal advisers are agreed between the parties, they are determined in accordance with prescribed scales or, in so far as the Rules give a discretion, by the judicial taxing officer who judges whether they are reasonable and consistent with the criteria that are laid down.