Quid's In

Her Majesty's Courts' Service has recently increased most of the fees charged for such things as bookies' licences, and various documents. The other day an officer of Her Majesty's Immigration Service came to court on some business or other, and found that he needed to photocopy a document - one side of A4 paper. The court duly obliged - and charged him a pound for the service. So one of Her Majesty's servants did a small service for another of Her Majesty's servants. A pound changed hands and a receipt was issued. The transaction was entered into the court's accounts. The recipient of the service will now claim that pound on his expenses, his claim will be authorised by yet another of Her Majesty's servants and still another will pay it to him in due course.

All perfectly proper, but what a waste of everyone's time and money. That photocopy has probably finished up costing the taxpayer about a tenner.