The Rules of the Supreme Court (Northern Ireland) (Revision) 1980

Costs payable to one party by another or out of a fund

27.—(1) This rule applies to costs which by or under these Rules or any order or direction of the Court are to be paid to a party to any proceedings either by another party to those proceedings or out of any fund (other than a fund which the party to whom the costs are to be paid holds as trustee or personal representative) and shall have effect subject to rule 28.

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this rule, costs to which this rule applies shall be taxed on the party and party basis, and on a taxation on that basis there shall be allowed all such costs as were necessary or proper for the attainment of justice or for enforcing or defending the rights of the party whose costs are being taxed.

(3) Subject to paragraph (6) the Court in awarding costs to which this rule applies may in any case in which it thinks fit to do so order or direct that the costs shall be taxed on the common fund basis.

(4) On a taxation on the common fund basis, being a more generous basis than that provided for by paragraph (2), there shall be allowed a reasonable amount in respect of all costs reasonably incurred, and paragraph (2) shall not apply; and accordingly in all cases where costs are to be taxed on the common fund basis the ordinary rules applicable on a taxation as between solicitor and client where the costs are to be paid out of a common fund in which the client and others are interested shall be applied, whether or not the costs are in fact to be so paid.

(5) The Court in awarding costs to which this rule applies to any person may if it thinks fit and if:—

(a) the costs are to be paid out of a fund, or

(b) the person to whom the costs are to be paid is or was a party to the proceedings in the capacity of trustee or personal representative,

order or direct that the costs shall be taxed as if that person were a trustee of the fund or as if the costs were to be paid out of a fund held by that person, as the case may be, and where the Court so orders or directs rule 33(2) shall have effect in relation to the taxation in substitution for paragraph (2) of this rule.

(6) Paragraph (3) shall riot apply to any proceeding for the recovery of a penalty.