Speaking after the MoJ released the latest quarterly civil justice statistics (for April - July 2022), Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director of ACSO said:
"Money and damages claims in the county courts remain well below pre-pandemic levels, and the last quarter has seen a further five per cent fall. Overall claims have fallen by one third since the peak in 2017.
"Delays across the civil courts remain a serious problem. It is very concerning that multi and fast-track claims are taking longer than ever to reach the courts, with the current 75 weeks to reach trial nearly a month longer than the equivalent quarter in 2021. Small claims are taking 50.8 weeks to get to court, 1.6 weeks longer than the same period last year.
"Ministers cannot simply blame the pandemic, as court delays were already increasing substantially before March 2020. The reason is down to lack of resources and we urge the government to target support on civil justice, which is, after all, the part of the legal system to which most citizens are exposed.
Personal injury (PI) claims coming before the court have increased this quarter to their highest level since Q3 2020, reversing a long-term declining trend since Q2 2021. PI claims are up 16 per cent to 25,000 for April - June 2022, with the Ministry of Justice suggesting this rise could be a knock-on impact from Covid-19 and possibly the introduction of mandated digital claims for the issue of damages claims on 4 April 2022.