Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average payment to (a) solicitors, and (b) barristers, in criminal cases in Northern Ireland in the past three years; and what are the figures for England and Wales. [HL2003]
The average bills paid to solicitors and counsel in Crown Court cases in Northern Ireland for the past three years was as follows:
Financial Year Solicitor Counsel 2005-06 £3,276 £4,324 2006-07 £4,888 £6,612 2007-08 £4,142 £4,872
This means that typically the average defence cost for a Crown Court case in Northern Ireland in 2007-08 would be between £9,015 and £13,887 depending on the number of legal representatives assigned to the defendant.
In England and Wales—the value of the average payment to individual solicitor firms and barristers in Crown Court cases during each of the past three years was as follows*:
Financial Year Category Average Payment 2005-06 Solicitors £2,393 Barristers £1,443 2006-07 Solicitors £2,397 Barristers £1,339 2007-08 Solicitors £2,920 Barristers £1,580
* Individual barristers and solicitor firms can receive more than one payment for work carried out on a case.