20 March 2012

£2bn In Unpaid Court Fines

A report by the cross-party Public Accounts Committee has said that almost £2bn is owed in unpaid court fines and confiscation orders.

The committee of MPs that scrutinises government spending has said the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) should do more to collect money.

The report points out that the amount of fines collected had increased, but the amount of money outstanding was increasing at a faster rate.

MPs also identified specific weaknesses at the Legal Services Commission and the HM Courts Service when it came to producing information that could be externally audited.

"Financial management at the MoJ has improved since we last reported," Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, said.

"However, the ministry remains unable to deliver timely and accurate financial accounts. This is unacceptable and undermines public confidence in the ministry's stewardship of public funds."

An MoJ spokesman said the department was determined to build on the improvements identified by the committee.

He said: "We have increased deductions from benefits, introduced asset seizures and begun programmes of targeted blitzes. Already we're seeing results, with £282m fines collected in the last financial year.

"We are also taking steps to recover the full costs of court services by introducing simpler fees and, where necessary, changing court costs."

(H)