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<p>The Ministry of Justice has a fee remission scheme in place called Help with Fees
for court or tribunal users who are on low incomes and cannot afford a court fee.
This scheme considers several factors including the applicant’s income, savings, the
size of the fee and whether they are receiving any benefits. Successful applicants
may receive a partial or total remission. Additionally, if the applicant doesn’t qualify
for Help with Fees they may ask court staff to exercise the Lord Chancellor's exceptional
power to remit fees. This ensures no one is denied access to justice because they
can’t afford a court or tribunal fee.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, we have consulted
on changes to the Legal Aid Means Test. The consultation proposed a broad suite of
changes to the civil and criminal legal aid means test, with the aim of ensuring access
to justice. These included uprating the income and capital thresholds for legal aid
eligibility. In particula, we have proposed increasing the lower disposable income
threshold for civil legal aid by 97%from £315 to £622 per month – this will particularly
help legal aid applicants with the lowest incomes, who are unable to contribute towards
their legal aid. Our proposals will significantly increase income thresholds for all
types of legal aid. This will ensure that legal aid is accessible to all who need
it.</p>
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