Commenting on the decision by the Justice Select Committee to relaunch its inquiry into the work of the County Court, Matthew Maxwell Scott, Executive Director of the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO,) which successfully lobbied for the original inquiry, said:
"It's hugely welcome that the new Justice Select Committee has seen the importance of picking up this baton from its predecessor. Court wait times remain stubbornly high, having been on an upward trajectory even before Covid. Civil justice continues to be delayed and therefore denied for thousands, but with a new government there is an opportunity to turn things around.
“Although criminal justice receives all the attention from the media and politicians, it is the Civil Courts where the vast majority of citizens interact with the law.
"The latest Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, published in December, showed the average time taken for small claims to go to trial was 50.7 weeks, while for multi/fast track claims it was 76.8 weeks. Even in the final quarter before the panoramic, when things were hardly rosy, the waits were 31.1 weeks and 60.9 weeks respectively.
"We hope the new committee will agree with us that we need fresh impetus from the latest civil justice minister, clear targets and expertise brought in from across the sector to work out how to get the delays down and confidence in the system back up."