In response to the news that CPS lawyers are to receive a pay increase, Chair of the Bar Council, Richard Atkins QC, said: "The Bar Council is pleased to see that extra money has been found to improve the pay of Crown Prosecution Service lawyers. This, however, is in stark contrast to the failure to increase the levels of pay for the self-employed members of the Bar who provide an essential public service prosecuting the vast majority of the serious cases tried in the Crown Court. The pay scheme under which self-employed barristers are remunerated has had no increases since its inception in 2001 (and has therefore been eroded by inflation) and actually suffered a five per cent cut in 2012. This needs to be addressed by the CPS as a matter of urgency. There can be no justification for one part of the system to receive a pay increase whilst another part is ignored. The Bar Council looks to the Director of Public Prosecutions to address this iniquity as a matter of urgency."
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Notes to Editors:
Further information is available from the Bar Council Press Office on 020 7222 2525 and [email protected].
The Bar Council represents barristers in England and Wales. It promotes:
The Bar's high quality specialist advocacy and advisory services
Fair access to justice for all
The highest standards of ethics, equality and diversity across the profession, and
The development of business opportunities for barristers at home and abroad.
The General Council of the Bar is the Approved Regulator of the Bar of England and Wales. It discharges its regulatory functions through the independent Bar Standards Board .