162Payment of lawyer appointed under section 159 or 160

1. The fees and expenses of any lawyer appointed under section 159 or 160 must—

2. be determined in accordance with regulations made under section 16D of the Family Court Act 1980 or, if no such regulations are made, by a Registrar of the court; and
3. be paid in accordance with that determination out of public money appropriated by Parliament for the purpose.

4. An invoice for fees and expenses submitted for payment by a lawyer appointed under section 159 or 160 must be given to a Registrar of the court, and the Registrar processing the invoice may decide to adjust the amount of the invoice.

5. A lawyer who is dissatisfied with the decision of the Registrar as to the amount of the invoice may, within 14 days after the date of the decision, apply to a Family Court Judge to review the decision, and the Judge may on the application make any order varying or confirming the decision that the Judge considers fair and reasonable.

6. Where the fees and expenses of a lawyer appointed under section 159 or 160 have been paid under subsection (1)(b), the court may, if it thinks it is appropriate, order a party to the proceedings to refund to the Crown an amount that the court specifies in respect of those fees and expenses, and the amount ordered to be refunded is a debt due to the Crown by that party and, in default of payment of that amount, payment may be enforced, by order of the District Court or the High Court, as the case may require, in the same manner as a judgment of that court.