Courts and Court Officers Act, 1995

Scales of costs.

46.—(1) Where—

(a) a rules-making authority is requested by the Minister to submit for the concurrence of the Minister rules governing questions of costs including scales of solicitors' costs and counsels' fees, and

(b) either—

(i) the rules-making authority fails to submit such rules within three months of the request, or

(ii) such rules as have been submitted contain scales of either solicitors' costs or counsels' fees or both which are in the opinion of the Minister excessive,

the Minister may by regulation, prescribe appropriate scales of solicitors' costs and counsels' fees.

(2) The consent of the Minister for Enterprise and Employment shall be required under the provisions of the Prices Acts, 1958 to 1972, for the exercise by the Minister of the power of the Minister under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) Every regulation made under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made, and if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by either such House within the next 21 days on which that House has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly, but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

(4) “Rules-making authority” means the Superior Courts Rules Committee, the Circuit Court Rules Committee or the District Court Rules Committee.