Work Load Down

The latest judicial statistics show there has been a steady decrease in the volume of county court claims which peaked at 3,311,257 in 1990 and reduced to 2,000,337 in 1999, the year in which the Civil Procedure Rules were introduced, a dramatic 11% reduction on the previous year. The same period also saw a 37% decrease in Queen’s Bench Division claims and Originating Summonses from 114,984 in 1998 down to 72,161 in 1999. The only area of increased work was a continuation of the annual increase of about 2,000 in divorce petitions up to 167,775 in 1999.