National statistics

Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly: April to June 2021

Published 2 September 2021

Applies to England and Wales

1. Main Points

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Covid-19 and associated actions have had an impact on all civil actions	This quarter, civil justice actions remain below pre-Covid-19 levels. However, the marked recovery seen over the last few quarters has continued for all actions following the impact of measures undertaken by the courts. This publication will therefore focus largely on comparisons with the same quarter two years ago (a pre-Covid-19 baseline).
Decrease in County Court claims driven by specified money and possession claims	In April to June 2021, County Court claims were down 15% on the same period in 2019, to 395,000. Of these, 331,000 were specified money claims (down 10%). Compared to the same quarter in 2020, which coincided with the start of the Covid19 pandemic, County Court claims were up 235%.
Unspecified money claims were stable at 31,000	Though unspecified money claims were stable overall there was an uptick in Other unspecified money claims (up 233% to 9,300) compared to the same quarter in 2019. This was offset by Personal Injury claims (down 23% to 21,000). Compared to the same quarter in 2020, there was a notable rise in unspecified money claims (up 58%).
The number of claims defended and number of trials is lower than 2019	There were 70,000 claims defended (down 6%) and 13,000 claims that went to trial in April to June 2021 (down 14%). Compared to the same quarter in 2020, claims defended were up 53% and claims that went to trial were up 204%.
Mean time taken from claim to hearing has increased	The mean time taken for small claims and multi/fast track claims to go to trial was 49.2 weeks and 71.1 weeks, 12.6 weeks longer and 12.0 weeks longer than the same period in 2019 respectively. These measures were also 7.5 weeks and 9.7 weeks longer for the same quarter in 2020 respectively.
Judgments were down 28% and default judgments were down 29%	Judgments were down 28% (to 220,000) in April to June 2021, compared to the same period in 2019; with 88% of these being default judgments. Judgments were up 222% compared to the same period in 2020.
16,000 enforcement applications and 11,000 enforcement orders made	Enforcement applications were down 25% while enforcement orders were also down 37%. Compared to 2020, enforcement applications were up 332% while enforcement orders were up 76%.
36,000 warrants were issued	Warrants issued were down 61% when compared to same quarter in 2019 (and up over 1,000% compared to 2020) - driven by a decrease in warrants of control.
1,200 judicial review applications in the first half of 2021	There were 1,200 applications for Judicial Reviews in the first half of 2021, down 16% on the same period in 2020 (comparing to 2020 data as JR cases were not significantly impacted by Covid-19). Of the 430 cases in 2021 that reached the permission stage, 48 (11%) were found to be ‘totally without merit’.

This publication gives civil county court statistics for the latest quarter (April to June 2021), compared to the same quarter in 2019 (pre-Covid19). Should users wish to compare latest outturn against 2020, they can do so using the accompanying statistical tables. The judicial review figures cover the period up to April to June 2021, and this quarter also includes data on privacy injunctions considered during the first half of 2021. For more details, please see the supporting document.

Statistics on the Business and Property Court for England and Wales have also been published alongside this quarterly bulletin as Official Statistics. For technical detail, please refer to the accompanying support document.

For general feedback related to the content of this publication, please contact us at: CAJS@justice.gov.uk

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2. Statistician’s comment

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The recovery from the impact of Covid-19 continues to be seen across all Civil Justice data this quarter. We would usually compare the data from this quarter with the same period the previous year. However, given the seismic events over the last year and the impact these have had on 2020 data, for this report we are providing a comparison for the equivalent quarter in 2019 (as a pre-Covid19 baseline). This should allow for a more meaningful comparison of trends and performance and a better measure of how the civil process “returns to normal”. We expect to return to the usual practice from next year, when the Covid19 impact is likely to have washed out of the data. Should users wish to compare latest outturn against 2020, they can do so using the accompanying statistical tables.

Though volumes are still below previous (pre-Covid) levels, they are maintaining the recovery trend noted over the last few quarters. Notably, possession claims have started recovering, following the end of stays in possession actions in England (31st May) and Wales (30th June). The recovery is particularly evident in the volume of claims defended which are now just 6% lower than the same period in 2019 (pre-Covid) and 53% higher than in Q2 2020. However, the mean time taken from claim to hearing remains significantly negatively impacted by Covid-19.

The only increase in claim volumes was in “other” unspecified money claims (up 233% on the same quarter in 2019 and up 188% on the same quarter in 2020). As noted previously, this increase is as a result of PPI-related claims that rely on a section of the Consumer Credit Act that relates to unfair relationships and follows a series of court rulings on the matter.

Looking ahead, as Covid-19 restrictions now come to an end, claim volumes are likely to return to historic trend levels but we expect timeliness measures to remain impacted. As timeliness measures are taken from the initial claim date, data for the next few quarters is likely to include cases issued before or during the early stages of the pandemic. Measures implemented following the pandemic, such as the opening of Covid secure courtrooms and the increase in hearings by remote means, will have benefited later cases and as such should show in timeliness measures towards the end of 2021.

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3. Claims Summary

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County court claims were down 15% on the same quarter of 2019, driven by money claims.

There were 395,000 County Court claims lodged in April to June 2021. Of these, 362,000 were money claims (down 10% from April to June 2019).

Non-money claim volumes were at 33,000, down 50% when compared to the same quarter last year.

Mortgage and landlord possession claims were down 71% over the same period to 9,500, ‘other non-money claims’ were down 26% to 22,000 and claims for return of goods were down 50% to 1,500.

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Figure 1: County Court claims by type, Q2 (April to June) 2016 to Q2 (April to June) 2021 (Source: table 1.2)

In the most recent quarter, total claims were down 15% compared to the same period in 2019 (from 465,000 to 395,000). Of these, 362,000 were money claims, down 10% from April to June 2019 (from 400,000). Money claims made up 92% of all claims in April to June 2021 in comparison to 86% of total claims in April to June 2019 (up 6pp).

Prior to the sharp fall in 2020, County Court claims had been generally increasing from 2015, reaching a peak of 565,000 claims in April to June 2017. This increase was driven by a rise in money claims, which make up the majority of claims received. Prior to 2020, claim volumes have been relatively unchanged but volatile, driven by a few “bulk issuers” slowing down and then ramping up their volume of claims. Claim volumes decreased significantly following the outbreak of Covid 19, with volumes this quarter continuing the recovery towards pre-pandemic levels.

Non-money claims have been generally decreasing since 2015. While these showed less of an impact following Covid-19 in contrast to money claims, the recovery of the volumes of non-money claims to pre-Covid volumes has been slow. In the current quarter, these claims were down 50% (from 65,000 to 33,000) compared to the same period in 2019.

Within non-money claims, ‘other’ non-money claims have shown a decline since 2018. In the most recent quarter, these were down 26% (from 29,000 to 22,000) compared to the same period in 2019.

The overall trend in Mortgage and Landlord Possession claims has been decreasing since a peak of 60,000 in January to March 2014. There were 9,500 claims in April to June 2021, down 71% compared to the same quarter of 2019 (33,000 claims). This decrease has been driven by a fall in all claims types since March 2020 due to actions following Covid19. Further details can be found in the Mortgage and Landlord Possessions publication annex here.

Claims for return of goods increased steadily to a high of over 3,000 in July-September 2018, with this trend stabilising in recent quarters. This quarter, as for other claim types, claims for return of goods were down 50% (from 3,000 to 1,500) in April to June 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.

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4. Money Claims^{[footnote 1]}

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Specified money claims were down 10% (to 331,000 claims) in April to June 2021 compared to the same quarter in 2019, driving the overall trend in money claims.

Specified money claims of up to (and including) £1,000 were down 15% over this period to 207,000, driving the overall trend in specified money claims.

Unspecified claims were stable at 31,000, driven solely by a rise in Other - unspecified money claims (up 233% to 9,300) compared to the same quarter in 2019.

Personal Injury claims accounted for 70% of all unspecified money claims in the most recent quarter, down 21pp on April to June 2019, when they accounted for 91% of all claims.

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Figure 2: Specified money claims by monetary value, Q2 (April to June) 2016 to Q2 (April to June) 2021 (Source: civil workload CSV^{[footnote 2]})

Historically, specified money claims reached a peak in October to December 2017, at which point the implementation of the Pre-Action Protocol (PAP) for Debt Claims in October 2017 led to a sharp drop in claims. An increasing trend resumed the following quarter, suggesting that the impact of the PAP on claim volumes was temporary. The main aim of the protocol is to encourage early engagement between parties to resolve disputes without needing to start court proceedings. In the most recent quarter (April to June 2021), there were 331,000 claims, down 10% on the same quarter in 2019 (369,000 claims).

This quarter, the majority (84%) of specified money claims were processed and issued at the County Court Business Centre (CCBC). There were 277,000 such claims at the CCBC in April to June 2021 (down 10% on the same quarter in 2019). CCBC claims have been particularly affected by Covid-19 and associated actions, with a more significant decrease than other specified money claims but they have now returned to historic trend levels. For comparison, they made up 83% of specified money claims in April to June 2019). This is as a result of bulk issuers almost completely ceasing their issue during the immediate response to the pandemic and now increasing these volumes.

The change in specified money claims is driven by lower value claims (under £1,000). These were down 15% to 207,000 claims in the period April to June 2021, compared to 2019, and account for just 63% of total specified money claims in the most recent quarter. This is a return to historical levels following the previously noted significant decline, with this category making up 66% of total specified money claims in April to June 2019. When compared to the same quarter in the previous year, the next claim band (above £1,000 up to and including £5,000) was initially similarly affected but has now returned to historic levels, up 1% to 99,000 claims. As a result, this value bracket made up 30% of total specified money claims in the most recent quarter, compared to 26% in April to June 2019.

Other than Q2 2020, unspecified money claims have fluctuated between 20,000 and 40,000 claims each quarter over the last five years (since April to June 2016). More recently, the volumes were stable in April to June 2021 compared to the same period in 2019 (at around 31,000). This was driven by an increase in other unspecified money claims, up 233% from 2,800 to 9,300; this is at its highest level since quarter 1 of 2012 (when there were 14,000 claims). That increase was offset by a fall in personal injury claims, down 23% compared to the same period in 2019 (from 28,000 to 21,000). The increase in other unspecified money claims is as a result of PPI-related claims that rely on a section of the Consumer Credit Act that relates to unfair relationships and follows a series of court rulings on the same matter. As the increase has been maintained for a few quarters, we intend to provide further analysis on this case type in the next few quarters.

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4.1 County court claims by month and 5-year average

Claims for quarters 3 to 4 of 2020 and quarters 1 to 2 of 2021 – which covers the second peak Covid-19 period, have been shown by month (figure 3) to further examine the impact of Covid-19 and related actions on claim volumes in county courts.

Figure 3: Monthly county court claims by type, 2019, July 2020 to June 2021, and 5-year average

A pronounced trend is visible for specified money claims; the initial fall in volumes was seen in March (down 6% on 2019 and up 45% on the five-year average - not shown in figure 3), coinciding with wide-scale closure of courts^{[footnote 3]} across England and Wales as a result of Covid-19, and many bulk claim issuers “pausing” new claims following guidance from the FCA^{[footnote 4]}. This was followed by further falls in April and May with just 116,000 and 95,000 claims respectively (down more than 70% on the five-year average in both cases).

The first significant uptick was seen in June, and this continued into Q3 of 2020 with 55,000 and 63,000 claims in July and August (down 43% and down 22% on the five-year average respectively). After the continued recovery in September 2020, October claim volumes, at 135,000 claims, were up 26% on the 5-year average, although still down 13% on the higher volumes seen in 2019. This recovery seems to have continued over the last few months with the levels generally remaining between the 5-year average and the higher 2019 levels. The latest three months (116,000, 95,000 and 120,000 claims respectively) have continued this trend.

Unspecified money claim volumes did not see such a significant decline; at the lowest points this reached 10,000 claims in April, down 9% on the five-year average. A partial recovery to pre-Covid levels had commenced by June, with claim volumes only down 14% on the five-year average. By July, volumes had risen to 16,000, up 17% on the five-year average. Following this, claim volumes declined slightly, returning to volumes consistent with previous years in August and September and this pattern has continued (10,000, 9,400 and 11,000 claims for April, May and June respectively).

In contrast, non-money claim volumes had declined significantly by April, reaching just 10,000 claims, down 55% on the five-year average. Following this, volumes rose slightly through May-July, reaching a high of 10,000 in July, still down 63% on the five-year average. Claim volumes have fluctuated slightly since then (10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 claims respectively for April, May and June of 2021). June was down 53% compared to the 5-year average and showed no signs of returning to pre-Covid levels yet.

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4.2 Allocations (table 1.3)

In April to June 2021, 39,000 money claims were allocated to track, down 10% (from 44,000) on the same period in 2019. A decrease was seen across all tracks, with fast track claims allocations showing the largest decline. Compared to April to June 2019, of these allocations:

• 24,000 were allocated to small claims, down 5% on April to June 2019. This accounts for 62% of all allocations (compared to 58% of all allocations in the same quarter of 2019);
• 12,000 were allocated to fast track, down 19% on April to June 2019. This accounts for 31% of all allocations (compared to 34% of all allocations in the same quarter of 2019);
• 2,800 were allocated to multi-track, down 13% on April to June 2019. This accounts for 7% of all allocations (compared to 7% of all allocations in the same quarter of 2019);

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5. Defences (including legal representation) and Trials

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The number of claims defended was down 6% to 70,000 compared to the same quarter in 2019.

Of those claims defended, 57% had legal representation for both claimant and defendant, 25% had representation for claimant only, and 3% for defendant only.

The number of trials was down 14% to 13,000 compared to the same quarter in 2019

Average time taken for small claims was 49.2 weeks (12.6 weeks longer compared to the same quarter in 2019) and for multi and fast track claims it was 71.1 weeks (12.0 weeks longer than April to June in 2019).

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Of those claims defended in April to June 2021, 57% had legal representation for both claimant and defendant, 25% had representation for claimant only, and 3% for defendant only. Almost all (93%) unspecified money defences had legal representation for both the defendant and claimant, compared with 36% of specified money defences.

Changes in representation compared to the same quarter last year is primarily influenced by the larger fall in specified money claim volumes in comparison to unspecified money claims, with the latter being more likely to have representation for both parties. It should also be noted that the proportion of unspecified money claims where only the claimant has representation remains at 6%. This is the highest proportion noted since 2013 (when these figures were first provided) - both parties in such cases usually have representation.

Figure 4: Proportion of civil defences and legal representation status, April to June 2021 (Source: table 1.6)

The total number of claims defended was down 6% in April to June 2021 compared to the same quarter in 2019, from 74,000 to 70,000 cases. This was driven by decreases across all claim types, with the most significant impact from specified money claims being defended (down 8% from 45,000 to 42,000). However, it should be noted that this fall in specified money claims defended (down 8%) is marginally less than the fall in specified money claims issued (down 10%).

Figure 5: Monthly county court claims defended, 2019, July 2020 to June 2021, and 5-year average

As with total claims, the monthly breakdown of claims defended in figure 5 shows variance throughout the last year. Due to the time taken from claim to defence, the initial decline in defence volumes was not seen until April, where claims defended were up 9% to 24,000, followed by a more significant fall in May to 23,000 defences. Defence volumes then showed a steady recovery through June and July (23,000 and 17,000 defences respectively). By August, defence volumes were up 1% on the five-year average (20,000 defended claims) and continued to rise, with September 2020 volumes (25,000 defended claims) being up 19% on the 5-year average, as well as up 4% on the higher volumes seen in 2019.

This recovery continued in Q4 2020 and the first half of 2021 but had not been steady until the last three months. The most recent monthly figures (24,000, 23,000 and 23,000 defended claims for April, May and June respectively) have started to show a return to pre-Covid levels. Whilst monthly data is more volatile, June was up 7% on the 5-year average and up 2% on the higher volumes seen in 2019.

5.1 Trials and Time Taken to Reach Trial (table 1.5)

Defended cases which are not settled or withdrawn, generally result in a trial. In total, there were 13,000 trials in April to June 2021, down 14% compared to the same period in 2019. Of the claims that went to trial, 9,400 (72%) were small claims trials (down 16% compared to the same quarter in 2019) and 3,700 (28%) were fast and multi-track trials (down 9% from the same quarter of 2019).

Figure 6: Average number of weeks from claim being issued to initial hearing date, Q2 (April to June) 2016 to Q2 (April to June) 2021 (Source: table 1.5)

In April to June 2021, it took an average of 49.2 weeks between a small claim being issued and the claim going to trial, 12.6 weeks longer than the same period in 2019.

Small Claims have been disproportionally impacted by Covid-19 in terms of timeliness for a number of reasons. These claims have shorter timeframes to begin with, and so delays will be observed sooner in the timeliness figures, whereas delayed Fast and Multitrack claims may not yet have reached a hearing. Small claims may also be less suited to remote hearings as they tend to be in person claims rather than professional users.

Measures put in place to help with the backlog of small claims include: Small Claims Mediation (re-referring cases back to mediation) and Early Neutral Evaluation (where a judge will try and engineer agreement without any finding on the fact). These measures, when successful, result in outcomes which are not used within the timeliness calculations. This means the final cases used in timeliness measures include a disproportionate number of more complex cases which take longer to dispose of.

For multi/fast track claims, it took on average 71.1 weeks to reach a trial, 12.0 weeks longer than in April to June 2019 – continuing to exceed the upper limit of the range 2009-2019 (52 to 62 weeks).

Covid-19 and associated actions have led to an uptick in time taken for all claims to reach trial. Prior to this, a sustained period of increasing receipts had increased the time taken to hear civil cases and caused delays to case progress. Additional venues have been provided to add temporary capacity to hear cases and help the court and tribunal system to run effectively.

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6. Judgments

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Judgments were down 28% compared to same quarter in 2019

There were 220,000 judgments made in April to June 2021, compared to 304,000 in the same quarter of 2019. Of these judgments, 194,000 (88%) were default judgments.

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Figure 7: All claims, judgments and default judgments, Q2 (April to June) 2016 to Q2 (April to June) 2021 (Source: tables 1.2 and 1.4)

There were 220,000 judgments made in April to June 2021, down 28% compared to the same quarter of 2019. Of these, 88% were default judgments. The number of default judgments was down 29% (from 272,000 to 194,000) on April to June 2019.

The second largest type of judgment was ‘judge’, of which there were 9,200 in April to June 2021, down 22% on the same quarter in 2019 (from 12,000). ‘Judge’ judgments accounted for 4% of all judgments.

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7. Warrants and Enforcements

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Warrants issued were down 61% when compared to same quarter in 2019

In April to June 2021, 36,000 warrants were issued, down 61% from 93,000 in the same quarter of 2019. Of these, 31,000 (87%) were warrants of control, down 58% compared to the same period in 2019.

Enforcement applications were down 25% and enforcement orders were down 37% when compared to April to June 2019

All application categories were down on April to June 2019. Attachment of earnings (AoE) applications were down 27% (from 14,000 to 10,000), while AoE orders were down 47% (from 7,800 to 4,100).

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Figure 8: Warrants and enforcements issued – Q2 (April to June) 2016 to Q2 (April to June) 2021 (Source: tables 1.7 and 1.8)

7.1 Warrants (table 1.7)

In the latest quarter (April to June 2021) there were 36,000 warrants issued, down 61% (from 93,000) on the same quarter in 2019; this decline was due to the continuing impact of Covid-19 and related actions.

Figure 9: Monthly warrants issued by type, 2019, July 2020 to June 2021, and 5-year average

A monthly breakdown of warrants issued shows a particularly sharp decline due to the initial impact of Covid-19. Following a significant decline in Q2 of 2020 (not shown), warrant volumes in July were 1,200 (down 94% on the five-year average). Volumes then started to pick up and peaked at 24,000 in February 2021, up 10% on the five-year average. They have fallen back in the latest three months and remain volatile for April, May and June (15,000, 6,700 and 14,000 warrants issued respectively).

However, different types of warrants have shown different patterns. As warrants of control are the majority of warrants issued, they have dominated the overall pattern and these also peaked at 23,000 in February before falling to 5,400 in May, down 75% on the five-year average. This volatile pattern was caused by large backlogs being issued by key bulk issuers in August, as well as local Covid restrictions in September. The volatility has continued in the latest quarter (14,000, 5,400 and 12,000 warrants of control for April, May and June respectively). This is up 51%, down 75% and down 36% respectively compared to the 5-year average.

In contrast, other warrant types have remained consistently low throughout the last year, with just 1,100, 1,300 and 2,400 other warrants issued in the latest three months (down 86%, down 84% and down 73% respectively compared to the 5-year average). The increase noted in June 2021 has been led by warrants of possession and further details on this can be found in the Mortgage and Landlord Possessions publication annex here.

7.2 Enforcements (table 1.8)

In April to June 2021, there were 16,000 enforcement-related order applications (which include attachment of earnings orders, charging orders, third party debt orders, administration orders, and orders to obtain information), down 25% compared to the same quarter of 2019. All application types were down, in particular attachment of earnings (AoE) applications, which were down 27% (from 14,000 to 10,000).

There were 11,000 enforcement-related orders made in April to June 2021, down 37% compared to the same quarter of 2019. As with applications, orders fell across all order types, with the decrease driven by AoE orders, which were down 47% (from 7,800 to 4,100).

Over the longer term, there has been a decreasing trend in enforcement-related applications received and orders made since 2009, possibly due to claimants’ preference for using warrants instead to retrieve money, property or goods.

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8. Judicial reviews^{[footnote 5]}

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Of the 1,200 applications received so far (January to June) in 2021, 34% have already closed, and 48 were found to be ‘Totally Without Merit’ (11% of cases that reached the permission stage).

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There were 1,200 judicial review applications received in 2021, down 16% on the same period in 2020. In 2020, there were 2,800 applications received in total, down 16% on 2019 (from 3,400).

Figure 10: Annual Judicial Review Applications, by type; calendar year 2010-2020 (Source: table 2.1)

Of the 1,200 applications received in 2021, 430 were civil immigration and asylum applications, 720 were civil (other), and 64 were criminal, down 21%, down 13% and down 22% respectively on the same period of 2020. 25 of the civil immigration and asylum cases have since been transferred to the UTIAC.

Of the applications that were made in 2021 in the period January to June, 34% are now closed. Of the total applications, 430 reached the permission stage in 2021, and of these:

• 11% (48) were found to be totally without merit (TWM).
• 150 cases were granted permission to proceed and 280 were refused at the permission stage. However, 24 of the cases refused at permission stage went on to be granted permission at the renewal stage.
• 170 of the 2021 cases have been assessed to be eligible for a final hearing and of these, 18 have since been heard.
• For the 2021 cases, the mean time from a case being lodged to the permission decision was 35 days, slightly up from 36 days across the same period of 2020. The mean time from a case being lodged to final hearing decision was 74 days, (this has not been compared to the same period in 2020 as only one case was heard).

8.1 Applications lodged against departments (table 2.5)

This quarter’s tables include judicial review figures by defendant type (i.e. individual government department or public body) – table 2.5. This table, which is now published quarterly, provides the number of judicial review applications lodged, permission granted to proceed to final hearing, and decisions found in favour of the claimant at final hearing.

The information presented is derived from the ‘defendant name’ – a free text field completed by the claimant, which is automatically matched and grouped by department. All efforts have been made to quality assure the data presented. However, this is a manually typed field, and as such is open to inputting errors and should be used with caution.

The key findings from January 2021 to June 2021 are:

• The Home Office was the department/body with the largest number of JR applications lodged against them, with 350 applications. Of these, 46 were granted permission to proceed to final hearing (13% of applications) to date.
• The second largest recipient of JR cases was the Local Authorities, with 300 cases received, of which to date 86 were granted permission to proceed to final hearing (29% of applications).
• The third largest recipient was Ministry of Justice, having 260 applications lodged against them. Of these, 13 were granted permission to proceed to final hearing (5% of applications) to date.

A more granular view of the JR data by department and case type can be found in the newly developed data visualisation tool found here. Feedback is welcome on this tool to ensure it meets user needs.

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9. Privacy Injunctions^{[footnote 6]}

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In the first six months of 2021, there were 3 proceedings where the High Court considered an application for a new interim privacy injunction.

One proceeding was considered at the High Court on whether to continue or amend an interim injunction, and two proceedings were considered to issue a final permanent injunction.

There were no proceedings considered at the High Court on whether to continue or amend an undertaking, and no proceedings considered a final undertaking^{[footnote 7]}.

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Figure 11: Revised number of privacy injunction proceedings, by type of proceeding, from Aug-Dec 2011^{[footnote 8]} to Jan-Jun 2021 (Source: tables 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3)

9.1 New interim privacy injunctions (Table 3.1)

All three of the proceedings at the High Court that took place in January to June 2021 were granted. In the previous six months (June to December 2020) 5 new interim privacy injunction proceedings took place, and four of these were granted, with an undertaking given in the non-granted case.

9.2 Continuation of existing interim injunctions (Table 3.2)

The continuation of one existing interim injunction proceeding that took place in January to June 2021 was granted/varied. In June to December 2020, the continuation of two existing interim injunctions proceeding were granted/varied.

9.3 Final privacy injunctions (Table 3.3)

There were two final privacy injunctions or final undertakings dealt with in January to June 2021, and these were both granted.

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10. Further information

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10.1 Provisional data and revisions

The statistics in the latest quarter are provisional and revisions may be made when the next edition of this bulletin is published. If revisions are needed in subsequent quarters, these will be annotated in the tables.

10.2 Accompanying files

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:

• A supporting document providing further information on how the data is collected and processed, as well as information on the revisions policy and legislation relevant to civil justice.
• The quality statement published with this guide sets out our policies for producing quality statistical outputs for the information we provide to maintain our users’ understanding and trust.
• A set of tables providing statistics on the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales.
• A set of overview tables and CSV files, covering each section of this bulletin.
• A new JR data visualisation tool (to provide a more granular view of the JR data by department and case type). This can be found here.

10.3 Rounding convention

Figures greater than 10,000 are rounded to the nearest 1,000, those between 1,000 and 10,000 are rounded to the nearest 100 and those between 100 to 1,000 are rounded to the nearest 10. Less than 100 are given as the actual number.

10.4 National Statistics status

National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the Authority’s regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate.

It is the Ministry of Justice’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected for National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored.

10.5 Future publications

Our statisticians regularly review the content of publications. Development of new and improved statistical outputs is usually dependent on reallocating existing resources. As part of our continual review and prioritisation, we welcome user feedback on existing outputs including content, breadth, frequency and methodology. Please send any comments you have on this publication including suggestions for further developments or reductions in content.

10.6 Contacts

Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) press office:

Sebastian Walters - email: sebastian.walters@justice.gov.uk

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Data and Evidence as a Service division of the Ministry of Justice:

Rita Kumi-Ampofo - email: cajs@justice.gov.uk

Next update: 2 December 2021

1. To align with new terminology within MoJ, specified money claims will in future be referred to as “Money Claims” and unspecified money claims will be referred to as “Damages Claims”. ↩

2. Following the alignment of the fees for online and paper civil money and possession claims in May 2021 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/588/pdfs/uksiem_20210588_en.pdf), the CSV will now show updated claim brackets from 2021. However, to allow comparison to previous years, the older claim brackets have been used for this chart. ↩

3. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/priority-courts-to-make-sure-justice-is-served ↩

4. https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/personal-loans-coronavirus-temporary-guidance-firms ↩

5. The judicial review data are Official Statistics ↩

6. The privacy injunction data are Official Statistics ↩

7. An undertaking is different from an injunction, in that it is a promise given by the defendants, rather than an injunction which is an order of the court ↩

8. H2 2011 only covers the period August-December 2011 and is not a full half-year ↩