The Courts Service Annual Report 2008 has just been published and includes detailed descriptions, insights and statistics about the courts system and how it is managed. Some of the more interesting points to note are as follows:
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In the High Court there was a 103% increase in cases for recovery of possession of land or premises; a 101% increase in cases for specific performance of contracts; a 63% increase in actions for recovery of debt; a 47% increase in judgments registered; and a 34% increase in actions for breach of contract.
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Applications to appoint examiners to companies in financial difficulty increased by 71% with applications to wind up companies increasing by 68%.
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Circuit Court hotel licence applications decreased by 40% and District Court applications to renew pub licences decreased by 33%.
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The use of technology is continuing to increase as video conferencing, video viewing facilities and digital audio recording (where each case is recorded as a digital computer file) are installed in courtrooms around the country; 45% of small claims applications in the District Court were made using the Small Claims Online system; and an online payment system for fines was introduced.
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The High Court sat outside Dublin more frequently. This has greatly reduced waiting times especially in non-jury matters where waiting times have reduced from 18 months to three months; in the Circuit Court the introduction of case progression conferences before County Registrars in family law cases has reduced the length of time it takes to finalise these cases; and in the District Court the reorganisation of the districts and venues has resulted in extra sittings and court days countrywide.
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Northern Irish court proceedings were heard in the State for the first time, as the court hearing the civil action taken by the families of the Omagh bomb victims sat in the Four Courts to hear evidence from the Gardaí.
