Family Justice Modernisation Strategy

Annex C: Further information on statistics

1. Scottish Government analysts are now embedded at SCTS with access to the new integrated case management system (ICMS). The system contains richer data about court processes and litigants, which enables better insight on cases than previously possible. The Scottish Government is developing strategies to report this more detailed information while maintaining statistical rigour and anonymity. Some of this more detailed analysis, including data on ancillary craves in family law cases, is in development for inclusion in the next civil justice statistics bulletin.

2. The Scottish Government are engaging with a range of external agencies and service providers (e.g. SLAB, advice agencies, and mediation bodies) to determine the extent to which information these parties can provide is appropriate for inclusion in official statistics. Data held by such agencies are both specific and complex and their compatibility with existing frameworks is currently unclear.

3. The annual civil justice statistics bulletin in Scotland has been revised to better reflect the coverage of the existing data.61 The statistics reflect functional changes in the pursuit of civil justice in Scotland and these trends are explored in greater depth and with clearer focus, leading to an overall quality improvement. As the available data expands and develops, the Scottish Government will continue to review the most effective means of communicating this new information.