Commenting on the publication of the England and Wales civil justice statistics for Q2 2023, Matthew Maxwell Scott, Executive Director of ACSO, said:
“The latest data show waits in getting small claims and multi/fast track claims to trial remain stubbornly high, at 52.3 weeks and 78.2 weeks respectively.
“This is why ACSO is shining a light on court delays and on the malaise in civil justice, something not unique to this part of the public sector but nonetheless deeply frustrating for consumers seeking redress as well as to their representatives and to compensators alike.
“I am writing today to the Lord Chancellor to urge him and his team to get a grip on the situation and set out a clear strategy. At the very least, they should look as a first step to returning mean time taken for claims to go to trial to where they were before the pandemic, which was 37.2 weeks for small claims and 59.4 weeks for multi/fast track claims.
“Given the sharp decline in overall claims numbers, this is setting a very low bar but would at least show there is willing to turn around a very poor situation.”
The latest data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2023