§ Mr. Keith HillTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance has been issued to court staff on dealing with applications for exemption from court fees; and if he will publish it. [21400]
§ Mr. StreeterThe question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Keith Hill, dated 20 March 1997:
The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about the guidance issued to court staff on exemptions from court fees. Written guidance on dealing with applications for fee exemption and remission is given to court staff when any fees order includes this issue. The guidance, which is lengthy, is designed for internal use only.
§ Mr. HillTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions an individual in receipt of(a) family credit, (b) disability working allowance and (c) housing benefit has (i) applied for exemption from payment of a court fee and (ii) been granted exemption from payment of a court fee in each of the last five years. [21401]
§ Mr. StreeterThe question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
684WLetter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Keith Hill, dated 20 March 1997:
The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of fee exemptions applied for, and granted, in each of the last five years. Fee exemption is granted automatically to anyone in receipt of Income Support. In family cases, it is also granted to people receiving Family Credit. Information on the number of people to whom it has been granted is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Litigants on family credit in non-family cases, as well as people in receipt of disability working allowance and housing benefit, can apply for fee remission. Information on the number of applications for fee remission is not kept centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, the table below shows the total number of court cases in which remission has been granted.
Year Number of cases 1991–92 766 1992–93 953 1993–94 2,261 1994–95 4,153 1995–96 3,414