Coronavirus (COVID-19): Justice Analytical Services data report- February 2022
This pack provides information on the impact of COVID-19 on the Justice system during February 2022.
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). Numbers for both initiations and disposals increased in February, for the second month in a row. Initiations are at their highest in the last 12 months.
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 February recovered from the last two months and are much closer to the 2019-20 average monthly levels. Summary cause cases increased too in February but are still much lower than 2019-20 average levels. Simple procedure cases decreased in February. Small claims have largely been replaced by simple procedure.
Likewise, disposed cases for ordinary cause and simple procedure are returning to 2019-20 levels. All procedure types increased from the previous month but are still lower than the 2019-20 average levels.
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 | Oct-21 | Nov-21 | Dec-21 | Jan-22 | Feb-22 | 2019/20 monthly average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiated | ||||||
| Ordinary cause | 1,783 | 1,908 | 1,580 | 1,455 | 1,803 | 1,928 |
| Summary cause | 345 | 361 | 262 | 298 | 361 | 1,132 |
| Small claim | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Simple procedure | 2,130 | 1,715 | 1,811 | 2,648 | 2,418 | 2,696 |
| Total initiated | 4,258 | 3,984 | 3,653 | 4,401 | 4,584 | 5,758 |
| Disposed | ||||||
| Ordinary cause | 1,420 | 1,412 | 1,280 | 1,208 | 1,391 | 1,445 |
| Summary cause | 647 | 561 | 407 | 468 | 589 | 1,096 |
| Small claim | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Simple procedure | 1,682 | 2,022 | 1,766 | 1,984 | 2,040 | 2,306 |
| Total disposed | 3,750 | 3,997 | 3,455 | 3,660 | 4,023 | 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. Save for Personal Injury which was slightly lower, the other three case types presented were all above 90% of 2019-20 average levels.
- Similar to initiations, Family, Children's Referrals and Debts were all close to 2019-20 average monthly levels, all above 90%. Personal Injury was lower.
| Initiated Cases (Feb 2022) | Disposed Cases (Feb 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case Type | Feb 2022 | Change from 19-20 | Feb 2022 | Change from 19-20 |
| Family | 994 | 98% of 19-20 average month (1,014 cases) | 891 | 99% of 19-20 average month (892 cases) |
| Children's Referrals | 546 | 91% of 19-20 average month (602 cases) | 247 | 95% of 19-20 average month (260 cases) |
| Debt | 2,732 | 95% of 19-20 average month (2,883 cases) | 2,218 | 94% of 19-20 average month (2,368 cases) |
| Personal Injury | 328 | 82% of 19-20 average month (402 cases) | 183 | 60% of 19-20 average month (306 cases) |
Further Information:
Latest published Civil Justice Statistics
Contact
Email: Justice_Analysts@gov.scot
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