Unpaid Fines: Debts Written Off
(asked on 7th March 2022) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much in outstanding fines was written off administratively in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, (3) 2018, (4) 2019, and (5) 2020.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does all that it can to ensure that defendants pay what they owe, and that justice is delivered. However, in very limited circumstances HMCTS will administratively cancel the outstanding balance. The scenarios in which this can happen are severely restricted, and, in the event that the defendant’s circumstances change, the balance can be written back and enforcement recommenced.
The table below details the amounts of fines administratively written off and written back each financial year from 2016 onwards
Financial year | Administratively cancelled fines written off £000 | Administratively cancelled fines written back £000 | Net amount written off/ (written back) as disclosed in HMCTS Trust Statement £000 |
2016/17 | 3,057 | (20,782) | (17,725) |
2017/18 | 12,107 | (56,548) | (44,441) |
2018/19 | 8,261 | (16,583) | (8,322) |
2019/20 | 10,938 | (1,480) | 9,458 |
2020/21 | 9,442 | (645) | 8,797 |