The increase in court fees over the past two years means many companies no longer chase up people with small debts, the AD reports on Monday.

A dispute over an unpaid bill used to cost €70 to €200 but that has now risen to about €700, the paper says. This means it is not cost-effective for firms to pursue small claims.

The national statistics office CBS says the number of small claims has gone down by 20% since the fees were raised. A number of MPs are now calling on the government to reverse the fee increases, the paper says.

The issue will be debate in parliament shortly.