Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on police budgets of fees payable to HM Courts & Tribunals Service for civil applications.

The Home Office and Ministry of Justice work together closely to ensure that fees paid by public authorities are set at appropriate levels. It is only right that the government seeks to recover a contribution towards the costs of providing HMCTS services from court and tribunal users – including public authorities – where they can afford to do so. Such contributions are used to fund a more effective and efficient court service and support access to justice.

On the 4th February 2021, the Government published a total police funding settlement of up to £15.8 billion in 2021/22, an increase of up to £636 million compared to 2020/21.