(This note is not part of the Order)
This Order amends the Court of Judicature (Non-Contentious Probate) Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 (S.R. 1996 No. 104) to increase the fees to be taken in non-contentious probate proceedings over a three year period (10% increase effective from 1 April 2017, 7.5% increase effective from 1 April 2018 with a further 5% increase effective from 1 April 2019). The Order also updates the qualifying benefits for the purpose of exemptions from fees in consequence of the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015.
The Supreme Court (Non-Contentious Probate) Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 has been renamed the Court of Judicature (Non-Contentious Probate) Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 as a consequence of the renaming of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland by virtue of section 59 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 11 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
An Explanatory Memorandum and a Regulatory Impact Assessment have been produced and are available from Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, Central Management Team, Laganside House, 23-27 Oxford Street, Belfast BT1 3LA or online alongside this Statutory Rule at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.