Clause 3 - Short title and extent
Public Trustee (Liability and Fees) Bill
11:00 am
Ms Rosie Winterton (Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department; Doncaster Central, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman will probably be aware that, when we considered fixing the fees for the Public Guardianship Office, several matters were taken into account. When we consider the hourly rate charge, we shall take into account commercial charges and how we might take heed of Treasury rules. Balancing that, we shall also take into account the charges made in other agencies, such as the Public Guardianship Office. When we consider setting a rate, we want to achieve a balance and ensure that hardship is not caused to any of the beneficiaries. Therefore, we would strike that balance, using benchmarks in similar situations. I am sorry that I cannot give further details of future fee structures.