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This is so wrong. Alongside internal law & order and external defence, the provision of an efficient and readily available system for citizens to resolve internal disputes is a cornerstone function of a civilised state, not a money making opportunity.

How on earth did we progress from a system where it cost £60 to issue a writ of any value to a system where the state confiscates hearing fees when a hearing does not take place? And to a system where the sliding scale issue fee is paid for the same clerical exercise that takes 30+ days when we could get our writs over the counter at our local court office 30 years ago on the same day?

And before anyone blames the "wicked Tories" in isolation, let's remember that these so called reforms (Woolf and beyond) largely derived from the Blair years. Not that there's much hope of any government recognising these glaring deficiencies - no votes in it.