§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will assess the advantages of removing the search fee relating to the Decree Absolute Index. [49472]
§ Mr. HoonAs part of the review of fees associated with the Civil Justice Reforms, the Lord Chancellor is considering all civil court fees, including those paid in family proceedings. It is the policy of the Lord Chancellor that those who receive a service should pay for the cost of providing it. In the absence of a taxpayer subsidy, if a free service is provided for some litigants, other fee paying litigants would, in effect, be paying for that service.