Coronavirus (COVID-19): Justice Analytical Services data report - May 2021
This pack provides information on the impact of COVID-19 on the Justice system during May 2021.
Sheriff Court Civil Case Volumes
Case initiations and disposals
Initiations and Disposals (of all types) in the Sheriff Civil Courts remain low, but are recovering to 2019-20 typical levels (dotted lines) as the courts continue to emerge from lockdown. There was a increase in both initiations and disposals in May.
Sheriff Court initiated and disposed cases by procedure
Initiated case numbers for ordinary cause and simple procedure are returning to 2019-20 monthly average levels, with month to month variation. Summary cause is much lower than 2019-20 levels, but increased from the previous month in line with overall initiations. Small claims have largely been replaced by simple procedure.
Likewise, disposed cases for ordinary cause and simple procedure are returning to 2019-20 levels. Similar to overall disposals in May, disposals for both procedures were higher than they were in April. Summary cause disposals are returning to 2019-20 monthly average levels, and have increased in the last three months.
In addition to lower volumes across all procedures, summary cause figures were heavily influenced by the emergency legislation which protects tenants during the pandemic, brought into force in April 2020 as part of Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020. The provisions of the Act expired on 30 March 2021.
| Procedures | Jan-21 | Feb-21 | Mar-21 | Apr-21 | May-21 | 2019/20 monthly average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiated | ||||||
| Ordinary cause | 1,304 | 1,577 | 2,161 | 1,676 | 1,838 | 1,928 |
| Summary cause | 173 | 209 | 228 | 181 | 274 | 1,132 |
| Small claim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Simple procedure | 1,819 | 2,181 | 1,823 | 1,369 | 2,311 | 2,695 |
| Total initiated | 3,296 | 3,967 | 4,213 | 3,226 | 4,423 | 5,758 |
| Disposed | ||||||
| Ordinary cause | 1,003 | 1,047 | 1,428 | 1,254 | 1,374 | 1,445 |
| Summary cause | 411 | 284 | 644 | 724 | 794 | 1,096 |
| Small claim | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Simple procedure | 2,364 | 1,754 | 2,148 | 2,000 | 2,079 | 2,306 |
| Total disposed | 3,779 | 3,087 | 4,224 | 3,978 | 4,247 | 4,852 |
1. Figures exclude summary applications.
2. Figures for initiations and disposals do not necessarily refer to the same cases.
3. Excludes Sheriff Personal Injury Court.
Case types
In May 2021, total initiated and disposed cases were below 2019-20 levels.
- Initiated case types presented are gradually returning to 2019-20 levels, with month to month variation. Family cases are higher than the 2019-20 average levels while personal injury are much lower.
- There was an overall increase in disposals from the previous month, with all case types presented higher than the previous month save for children's referrals.
| Initiated Cases (May 21) | Disposed Cases (May 21) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | Change from 19-20 | Case Type | May 2021 | Change from 19-20 |
| 1,105 | 105% of 19-20 average month (1,055 cases) |
Family |
944 | 104% of 19-20 average month (910 cases) |
| 437 | 73% of 19-20 average month (602 cases) |
Children's Referrals | 115 | 44% of 19-20 average month (260 cases) |
| 2,662 | 92% of 19-20 average month (2,883 cases) |
Debt | 2,257 | 95% of 19-20 average month (2,368 cases) |
| 244 | 61% of 19-20 average month (402 cases) |
Personal Injury | 200 | 65% of 19-20 average month (306 cases) |
Further Information:
Latest published Civil Justice Statistics can be found here:
Contact
Email: Justice_Analysts@gov.scot
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