Explanatory note

This Order amends the Magistrates’ Courts Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 (S.R. 1996 No. 102) to increase the fees payable in respect of proceedings in the Magistrates’ Courts over a three-year period (5% increase effective from 1st April 2026, 2% increase effective from 1st April 2027, with a further 2% increase effective from 1st April 2028). It also amends the 1996 Order to clarify that no fee will be charged for an application under section 3A(2) or (6) of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992. In addition, it amends the 1996 Order to prescribe a specific fee for applications under the Family Law Act 1986 in relation to the disclosure of a child’s whereabouts and recovery of a child.

An Explanatory Memorandum and a Regulatory Impact Assessment have been produced and are available from the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, Laganside House, 23-27 Oxford Street, Belfast BT1 3LA or online alongside this Statutory Rule at www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.