The Magistrates’ Courts and County Court Appeals (Criminal Legal Aid) (Costs) (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2025

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

These Rules amend the Magistrates’ Courts and County Court Appeals (Criminal Legal Aid) (Costs) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2009 which prescribe the remuneration for solicitors and counsel assigned under Articles 28, 28A or 30 of the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

These Rules substitute increased levels of standard fees for guilty pleas, contests, committal hearings, applications and other additional fees. These fees are uplifted by 16%. The Rules also enhance the hourly rates for travel time and introduce a new mileage rate of 45p per mile. These Rules remove provisions for the remuneration of indictable only cases heard in the youth court as provided for under Article 17 of the Criminal Justice (Children) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, which will instead be remunerated under the Legal Aid for Crown Court Proceedings (Costs) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005, as amended by the Legal Aid for Crown Court Proceedings (Costs) (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2025.

These Rules, however, substitute an enhanced fee for indictable only youth court cases heard on appeal in the County Court.

The amendments made by these Rules apply for the determination of costs payable in respect of work done under a criminal aid certificate granted on or after 1st December 2024, subject to a transitional provision (rule 5).