Court Fines – New Online Payment Option
Ken Heffernan, Family Law solicitor has welcomed the introduction of the Courts Accounting System (CAS) launched by the Courts Service which allows for the electronic payment of family law payments, the payment of fines via the internet, and the payment of some court fees online or via credit card.
Traditionally the payment of fines had to be made by cheque, postal order or cash to the office where the fine had been imposed. As more and more people changed from cheque book to cash, laser and credit cards, the payment of a fine became awkward and often necessitated a trip to the Court office to pay in cash.
Ken hopes that this new system will allow for not just easier payment methods for clients as it cuts out the need to pay at a specific court office and for cash or paper transactions, but will be very efficient in terms of savings for the Courts Service in terms of time and money. It is anticipated that it will prove to be a useful option for family law and other court users.
The Courts Service has reported that uptake of this system in areas where it was piloted has been very high with 70% of people opting for electronic transfer of family law payments, 46% using the internet to pay small claims fees online and 1,32 have paid €320,000 in fines this way already at www.courts.ie