A spike in crime has forced the Government to allocate extra funding to legal aid services.

Dennis Lister III, the Junior Minister of Justice, provided the update while he delivered the ministry’s financial plans for the next year.

The justice ministry has been given $57.74 million to spend in the next 12 months — an amount that was ratified by MPs after a five-hour debate in the House of Assembly on Monday.

Mr Lister delivered a breakdown of the ministry's finances on behalf of Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, who sits in the Senate.

Mr Lister opened his statement by declaring that the ministry was "the cornerstone of our democracy, safeguarding the rule of law, ensuring access to justice and ensuring the rights and freedoms of every citizen".

He added: "We remain committed to strengthening our justice system, advancing legal reform and providing critical support to agencies and services that uphold fairness, accountability and public safety across Bermuda."

Mr Lister said that the purpose of legal aid was to ensure that legal advice and representation “is readily available to those that need it most and who, because of their limited financial means, would otherwise be unable to secure access to justice”.

He said: “External legal fees remain the largest area of expenditure for the legal aid office except for salaries, and continue to be challenging to accurately predict.

“Last year, the legal fees paid to external counsel were higher than predicted for several reasons.

“There was an increase in the rate of murder and other serious violent crimes, as well as conspiracies to import firearms, ammunition and illegal drugs into Bermuda. Multiple defendants were charged and tried together.”

Mr Lister said that cash to fund legal aid clients will increase 19 per cent to $2.2 million in the coming year.

Mr Lister said that the ministry had been given a budget of $57.74 million — an increase of $2.8 million, or 5 per cent, on last year. He said that the extra money was needed to cover salary increases and consultancy costs.

However, the ministry also anticipates an increase in revenue of more than $400,000 through higher court fees and parking fine receipts.

Mr Lister said: “The Ministry of Justice 2025-26 budget reflects more than arithmetic. It represents our shared commitment to fiscal responsibility and careful stewardship of public resources.

“Our dedicated public officers will continue to advance fair and equitable access to justice through legal services, policy and legislation that upholds the rule of law and supports social progress for the people of Bermuda.”

Other expenses in the coming year include $1 million for the implementation of a case management system that will “catapult the judiciary into the 21st century”, according to Mr Lister.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers will receive more than $7 million to draft legislation, provide legal advice to government ministries and represent the Government in civil proceedings.

The sum represents an increase of $1.35 million, or 24 per cent, on last year.

Mr Lister spent three hours and 15 minutes on his presentation, giving the Opposition almost two hours to ask questions.

Scott Pearman, the One Bermuda Alliance spokesman on legal affairs, noted that expenditure increases within the ministry were “ticking up”, primarily because of salary increases.

He said: “Given that there is a considerable salary increase and numbers increase and employees increase, could the honourable junior minister and the ministry help to elaborate what new roles one can expect given the considerable increase of $780,000 there, which, as I understand it, is mainly linked to salaries?”

Mr Pearman suggested that the ministry could conduct a review of penalties for traffic offences.

He noted that a senior magistrate had questioned whether fines for speeding offences — which have not increased “in some time” — were an effective deterrent.

He said: “I think we can all agree that our roads are a cause for concern. It has gone beyond mere safety concerns, but we have people dying on our roads more than we should.”