Witness fees to rise 150 p.c.
Wellington reporter Increased fees will be paid to witnesses and interpreters in court cases, to encourage them to make the effort to appear in court. As from December 1, witnesses will get $32 a day when required in court, an increase of 150 per cent, and interpreters and expert witnesses will also get more. The Minister of Justice, Mr Palmer, said the full range of increases, including overnight, meal, and motorvehicle allowances, were contained in amendments to the Witnesses and Fees Regulations, 1974. The scale of fees and allowances had not been amended since then. -
“The rates being paid are totally inadequate," he said. These increases would go some way towards the relativity which had existed in 1974 between the fees and the average ordinary-time wage rates. Witnesses in court cases performed a public service, Mr Palmer said, and the fees did not equate with wage rates. But the increases did recognise the importance of witnesses in serving the cause of justice and helping in the proper presentation of cases in court.
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Press, 2 November 1984, Page 3
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178Witness fees to rise 150 p.c. Press, 2 November 1984, Page 3
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