Criminal Justice Act 1991

24 Recovery of fines etc. by deductions from income support. E+W+S

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that where a fine has been imposed on an offender by a magistrates’ court, or a sum is required to be paid by a compensation order which has been made against an offender by such a court, and (in either case) the offender is entitled to income support [F1 or a jobseeker’s allowance]—

(a) the court may apply to the Secretary of State asking him to deduct sums from any amounts payable to the offender by way of [F2 that benefit], in order to secure the payment of any sum which is or forms part of the fine or compensation; and

(b) the Secretary of State may deduct sums from any such amounts and pay them to the court towards satisfaction of any such sum.

(2) The regulations may include—

(a) provision that, before making an application, the court shall make an enquiry as to the offender’s means;

(b) provision allowing or requiring adjudication as regards an application, and provision as to appeals and reviews;

(c) provision as to the circumstances and manner in which and the times at which sums are to be deducted and paid;

(d) provision as to the calculation of such sums (which may include provision to secure that amounts payable to the offender by way of income support [F3 or a jobseeker’s allowance]do not fall below prescribed figures);

(e) provision as to the circumstances in which the Secretary of State is to cease making deductions;

(f) provision requiring the Secretary of State to notify the offender, in a prescribed manner and at any prescribed time, of the total amount of sums deducted up to the time of notification; and

(g) provision that, where the whole amount to which the application relates has been paid, the court shall give notice of that fact to the Secretary of State.

(3) In subsection (1) above—

(a) the reference to a fine having been imposed by a magistrates’ court includes a reference to a fine being treated, by virtue of section 32 of the 1973 Act, as having been so imposed; and

(b) the reference to a sum being required to be paid by a compensation order which has been made by a magistrates’ court includes a reference to a sum which is required to be paid by such an order being treated, by virtue of section 41 of the M1 Administration of Justice Act 1970, as having been adjudged to be paid on conviction by such a court.

[F4 (c) the reference in paragraph (a) to “the court” includes a reference to a court to which the function in that paragraph has been transferred by virtue of a transfer of fine order under section 89(1) or (3) or 90(1)(a) of the 1980 Act (power of magistrates’ court to make transfer of fine order) or under section [F5 section 222(1)(a) or (b) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995] (analogous provision as respects Scotland) and a reference to a court to which that function has been remitted by virtue of section 196(2) of the said Act of 1975 (enforcement of fine imposed by High Court of Justiciary).]

(4) In this section—

• “fine” includes—

(a) a penalty imposed under [F6 section 29 or 37 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994] or section 102(3)(aa) of the M2 Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (penalties imposed for certain offences in relation to vehicle excise licences);

(b) an amount ordered to be paid, in addition to any penalty so imposed, under [F6 section 30, 36 or 38 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994] (liability to additional duty);

(c) an amount ordered to be paid by way of costs which is, by virtue of section 41 of the M3 Administration of Justice Act 1970, treated as having been adjudged to be paid on a conviction by a magistrates’ court;

• “income support” means income support within the meaning of the M4 Social Security Act 1986, either alone or together with any F7 . . . [F8 incapacity] benefit, retirement pension or severe disablement allowance which is paid by means of the same instrument of payment;

• “prescribed” means prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State.

(5) In the application of this section to Scotland—

(a) references in subsections (1) and (2) above to a magistrates’ court shall be construed as references to a court; and

(b) in subsection (3) above, for paragraphs (a) and (b) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs—

“(a) the reference to a fine having been imposed by a court includes a reference to a fine being treated, by virtue of [F9 section 211(4) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995], as having been so imposed; and

(b) the reference to a compensation order having been made by a court includes a reference to such an order being treated, by virtue of [F10 section 252 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995], as having been so made.”

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 24(1) inserted (11.6.1996) by 1995 c. 18, s. 41(4), Sch. 2 para. 21; S.I. 1996/1509, art. 2, Sch.

F2 Words in s. 24(1)(a) substituted (11.6.1996) by 1995 c. 18, s. 41(4), Sch. 2 para. 21; S.I. 1996/1509, art. 2, Sch.

F3 Words in s. 24(2)(d) inserted (11.6.1996) by 1995 c. 18, s. 41(4), Sch. 2 para. 21; S.I. 1996/1509, art. 2, Sch.

F4 S. 24(3)(c) inserted (3.2.1995) by 1994 c. 33, s. 47(3); S.I. 1995/127, art. 2(1), Sch. 1

F5 Words in s. 24(3)(c) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, ss. 5, 7(2), Sch. 4 para. 80(2)(c)

F6 Words in s. 24(4) substituted (1.9.1994) by 1994 c. 22, ss. 63, 66(1), Sch. 3 para. 30 (with s. 57(4))

F7 Words in s. 24(4) repealed (7.10.1996) by 1995 c. 18, s. 41(5), Sch.3; S.I. 1996/2208, art.2

F8 Word in s. 24(4) substituted (13.4.1995) by 1994 c. 18, s. 11(1), Sch. 1 Pt. II para. 55; S.I. 1994/2926, art. 2, Sch. Pt. IV

F9 S. 24(5)(a): Words in s. 24(3)(a) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, ss. 5, 7(2), Sch. 4 para. 80(2)(a)

F10 S. 24(5)(b):Words in s. 24(3)(b) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, ss. 5, 7(2), Sch. 4 para. 80(2)(b)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 24 wholly in force at 1.10.1992 see s. 102(2)(3) and S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch. 2.

Marginal Citations

M1 1970 c. 31.

M2 1979 c. 2.

M3 1970 c. 31.

M4 1986 c. 50.