Court fee rise will disadvantage smaller parties

Smaller parties could be priced out of the justice process if government plans to raise court fees for a second time go ahead, the Bar Council has warned. It said a further hike would give the rich and big businesses an unfair advantage in any settlement negotiations, and small suppliers chasing big businesses for payment would be particularly vulnerable. Bar Council chair Alistair MacDonald said such an unfair advantage went against “every principle of justice”. The Bar Council was responding to a Ministry of Justice consultation on fees.