Coronavirus (COVID-19): Justice Analytical Services data report - December 2021

This pack provides information on the impact of COVID-19 on the Justice system during December 2021.

Data has been gathered from a number of different sources and may be subject to future revision.


Sheriff Court Civil Case Volumes

Initiations and disposals

Initiations in the Sheriff Civil Courts remain lower than the 2019-20 typical levels, while disposals have almost returned to 2019-20 levels (see dotted lines). In December, numbers for both initiations and disposals were lower than previous months due to fewer court days as a result of the festive period.

Chart: Initiations and disposals
Line graph showing case volumes remain low, but are recovering to 2019-20 typical levels.

Sheriff Court 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. Ordinary cause numbers in December were the lowest since August 2021 and much lower than the 2019-20 average levels. There was an increase in simple procedure cases in December. Summary cause is much lower than 2019-20 levels, and the number of cases decreased from the previous month. Small claims have largely been replaced by simple procedure. The lower numbers in December reflect the fewer court days available due to the festive period.

Likewise, disposed cases for ordinary cause and simple procedure are returning to 2019-20 levels. Both simple procedure and ordinary cause disposals in December were lower than the 2019-20 average levels. They were additionally lower than the previous month in line with overall disposals due to few court days during the festive period. Summary cause disposals are returning to 2019-20 monthly average levels, with fluctuations observed from month to month since August. However, there was a decrease in disposals from the previous month.

Summary cause figures are heavily influenced by the emergency legislation which protected 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 Aug-21 Sep-21 Oct-21 Nov-21 Dec-21 2019/20 monthly average
Initiated            
Ordinary cause 1,856 1,804 1,783 1,908 1,580 1,928
Summary cause 287 349 345 361 262 1,132
Small claim 0 0 0 0 0 2
Simple procedure 1,824 1,854 2,130 1,715 1,811 2,695
Total initiated 3,967 4,007 4,258 3,984 3,653 5,758
Disposed            
Ordinary cause 1,501 1,383 1,420 1,412 1,280 1,445
Summary cause 658 578 647 561 407 1,096
Small claim 18 8 1 2 2 5
Simple procedure 1,892 1,526 1,682 2,022 1,766 2,306
Total disposed 4,069 3,495 3,750 3,997 3,455 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.

Focus on case types

  • The case types presented below show gradual return to 2019-20 levels of initiations, with some month to month variation. Children's Referrals cases in December were higher than the 2019-20 average levels, while the other case types shown are lower. December figures were lower than previous months due to fewer court days as a result of the festive period.
  • Family and Children's Referrals disposals in December were closer to the 2019-20 average levels (both at 92%), while Debts and Personal Injury were lower. Similar to initiated cases, these disposal numbers were affected by fewer court days in December.
Initiated Cases (Dec 2021) Disposed Cases (Dec 2021)
Case Type Dec 2021 Change from 19-20 Dec 2021 Change from 19-20

Family
848 84% of 19-20 average month (1,014 cases) 822 92% of 19-20 average month (892 cases)
Children's Referrals 734 122% of 19-20 average month (602 cases) 238 92% of 19-20 average month (260 cases)
Debt 2,157 75% of 19-20 average month (2,883 cases) 1,912 81% of 19-20 average month (2,368 cases)
Personal Injury 274 68% of 19-20 average month (402 cases) 177 58% of 19-20 average month (306 cases)

Further Information: Latest published Civil Justice Statistics

Contact

Email: Justice_Analysts@gov.scot

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