Civil justice statistics quarterly: July to September 2017
Source: data.gov.uk (2018-05-25)

Civil Justice Statistics. The bulletin presents the latest statistics on the type and volume of civil, judicial review and privacy injunction cases that are received and processed through the justice system of England and Wales.

Published 7 December 2017 
Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, 
England and Wales, July to September 
2017 (provisional)  
Main points 
In July to September 2017, increases can be seen across most stages of county court 
activity (claims, defences, trials and judgments made). Although the increase in claims is 
driven by specified money claims, increases have also been seen in unspecified money and 
non-money claims.   
County court claims up 
13% compared to same 
quarter last year, driven 
by specified money 
claims  
In July to September 2017, the second highest quarterly 
number of County Court claims were lodged since 2006, 
at 560,000. Of these, 445,000 were specified money 
claims (up 15% on July to September 2016). 
Unspecified money 
claims were up 10% to 
40,000   
Unspecified money claims have increased for both 
Personal Injury (up 10% to 38,000) and other 
unspecified money claims (up 9% to 2,000)  
Claims defended and 
claims to trial up 2% 
and 11% respectively 
There were 76,000 claims defended and 14,000 claims 
that had gone to trial in July to September 2017 
Average time taken 
from claim to hearing 
has increased 
Average time taken for small claims has increased to 
31.9 weeks and for multi and fast track claims to 56.5 
weeks, 0.7 and 3.3 weeks longer than the same period 
in 2016 respectively.  
Judgments up 24%, 
compared to same 
quarter in 2016  
There were 353,000 judgments made in July to 
September 2017, of which 87% were default judgments 
(with 306,000, up 27% on the same quarter of 2016).  
Judicial Reviews for the 
three quarters of 2017 
down 5% on same 
period of 2016  
There were 3,100 Judicial Reviews up to September 
2017. Of the 2,100 cases that reached the permission 
stage, 378 (18%) were found to be ‘totally without merit’. 
 
This publication gives civil county court statistics for the latest quarter (July to September 
2017), compared to the same quarter the previous year. The judicial review figures cover 
the period January to September 2017. For more details, please see the supporting 
document.  
Following a review of the timeliness data, two discrepancies relating to the derivation of data 
were identified in the previous edition of Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, covering April to 
June 2017. As a result, timeliness figures within Table 1.5 have been revised in this edition, 
with Q3 2017 figures remaining provisional at this release. See ‘Revisions to Timeliness’ for 
more information. 

2 
 
1. Claims summary 
County court claims up 13% on the same quarter of 2016, driven by an increase in 
money claims 
 
The number of County Court claims lodged in July to September 2017 were at 
560,000. Of these, 485,000 were money claims (up 14% from July to September 
2016). 
Non-money claims at 75,000, up 4% on the same quarter last year 
 
‘Other non-money’ claims and return of goods increased by 7% and 39%, to 34,000 
and 2,400 respectively. Mortgage and Landlord Possession claims over the same 
period had no significant increase at 39,000. 
Figure 1: County Court Claims by type, Q2 (April to June) 2009 to Q3 (July to 
September) 2017 (source: table 1.2)  
 
County Court claims have been generally increasing since a low of 328,000 in April to June 
2012, reaching the second highest figure of 560,000 claims in July to September 2017. This 
increase is driven by a rise in money claims (up 14% since July to September 2016), which 
make up the majority of claims received. Specified money claims have increased by 15% to 
445,000, and unspecified money claims have increased by 10% to 40,000 in the most 
recent quarter. 
Non-money claims had been generally decreasing since the peak of 89,000 claims in July to 
September 2013. However, in the most recent quarter they increased compared to the 
same period in 2016, by 4% to 75,000.  
Within non-money claims, return of goods have been generally increasing quarter on 
quarter since July to September 2015. Since July to September 2016, these have increased 
by 39% to 2,400 at July to September 2017. Other non-money claims increased by 7% 
across the same period to 34,000 and have generally been increasing since a low of 26,000 
in April to June 2014. 
The overall trend in Mortgage and Landlord Possession claims has been decreasing since a 
peak of 60,000 in January to March 2014. It was the only non-money claim group which saw 
no significant change in a quarter by quarter basis compared to last year, remaining at 
39,000 claims.  
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Money Claims
Non Money Claims
Total Claims

3 
 
2. Money Claims 
The majority (89%) of specified money claims are processed and issued at the County 
Court Business Centre (CCBC). There were 396,000 such claims at the CCBC in July to 
September 2017 (up 16% on the same quarter in the previous year).  
After reaching their lowest point at April to June 2012 (210,000 claims), the total number of 
specified money claims has continuously increased (more than doubling over this period). 
This total has been driven by an increase in lower value monetary claims (£1,000 and 
under), with the greatest increases in the lowest claim group (up to and including £500, up 
by 172%) – these make up almost half (46%) of the total specified money claims in the most 
recent quarter. However, higher value claims (>£15,000) have decreased when compared 
the same period (April to June 2012), as shown in Figure 2.  
Figure 2: Specified money claims by monetary value, Jan-Mar 2009 to Jul-Sep 2017 
(source: civil workload CSV) 
 
Unspecified money claims have generally been decreasing since a peak of 47,000 in 
January to March 2013. In the most recent quarter, they increased by 10% compared to 
July to September 2016, to 40,000.  Personal injury claims account for almost all (95%) of 
unspecified money claims.  
 
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Up to £500
Over £500 to £1,000
Over £1,000 to £5,000
Over £5,000 to £15,000
Over £15,000
The increase in civil claims was driven by specified money claims. There were 
445,000 specified money claims in July to September 2017, up 15% on the same 
period of 2016.  
 
Low value specified monetary claims (£1000 or less) made up 70% of all specified 
money claims received in this quarter and have been driving the increase in 
specified money claims, (up 24% against the previous year to 311,000 claims in 
July to September 2017).  
Unspecified claims have increased by 10% to 40,000 when compared to the same 
quarter in 2016  
 
Unspecified money claims have increased for both Personal Injury (up 10% to 
38,000) and other unspecified money claims (up 9% to 2,000) 

4 
 
Allocations 
In July to September 2017, 39,000 money claims were allocated to track, 3% less than the 
same period in 2016. Of these allocations; 
 
21,000 were allocated to small claims, an increase of 7% on the same quarter in 
2016, accounting for 53% of all allocations; 
 
15,000 were allocated to fast track, a decrease of 12% on the same quarter in 2016, 
accounting for 39% of all allocations; 
 
3,000 were allocated to multi-track, a decrease of 14% on the same quarter of 2016, 
accounting for 8% of all allocations. 

5 
 
2. Defences (including legal representation) and Trials 
The number of claims defended increased by 5% to 76,000   
 
Of those claims defended, 56% had legal representation for both claimant and 
defendant (down one percentage point from July to September 2016), 24% had 
representation for claimant only (up one percentage point over the same period), and 
3% for defendant only. 
The number of trials and average time taken from claim to trial have increased 
 
Average time taken for small claims has increased to 31.9 weeks and for multi and 
fast track claims to 56.5 weeks. 
The shift in proportion from claimant and defendant representation to claimant only is driven 
in part by the larger increase in specified money defences, as the proportion of legal 
representation differs depending on the type of claim (as figure 3 shows). In July to 
September 2017, almost all (97%) unspecified money defences had legal representation for 
both the respondent and claimant, compared with less than a third (31%) of specified 
money defences. 
Figure 3: Proportion of civil defences and legal representation status, July to 
September 2017 (Source: table 1.6)  
 
  
Trials and Time Taken to Reach Trial 
Defended cases which are not settled or withdrawn generally result in a trial. In total, there 
were 14,000 trials in July to September 2017, up 11% on the same quarter in 2016. Of the 
claims that went to trial, 10,000 (72%) were small claims trials (up 19% on the same quarter 
in 2016) and 4,000 were fast and multi-track trials (down 6% on the same quarter in 2016).  
There was an average of 31.9 weeks between a small claim being issued and the claim 
going to trial in July to September 2017, just less than a week longer than the same period 
in the previous year. For multi/fast track claims the average was 56.5 weeks over the same 
period, three weeks longer than in July to September 2016.  
56%
31%
97%
13%
63%
24%
38%
2%
36%
25%
3%
5%
1%
6%
6%
17%
26%
0%
46%
7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
All Defences
Specified Money
Unspecified Money
Mortgage and
Landlord
Other
Both Claimant and defendant
Claimant only
Defendant only
Neither claimant nor defendant

6 
 
3. Judgments, Enforcements and Warrants 
Judgments increased by 24%, compared to same quarter in 2016 
 
There were 353,000 judgments made in July to September 2017, of which 87% were 
default judgments (with 306,000 in July to September 2017, up 27%). 
Warrants issued increased by 33%, driven by warrants of execution 
 
In July to September 2017, 96,000 warrants were issued, almost three quarters (77%) 
of which were warrants of execution, which have increased 53% on the same quarter 
in 2016 
Figure 4: All claims, judgments and default judgments, Jan-Mar 2009 to Jul-Sep 2017 
(Source: table 1.2 and 1.4) 
 
There were 353,000 judgments made in July to September 2017, an increase of 24% 
against the same quarter of the previous year. Of these, 87% were default judgments 
(306,000, up 27%). The proportion of default judgments increased to 87% in the first quarter 
of 2017, after remaining stable at around 85% between 2014 and 2016, and has remained 
at this level since. There has been a gradual increase in the proportion of default judgments 
since 2009, from 80% to 87%. 
The second largest type of judgment were ‘admissions’, of which there were 29,000 in July 
to September 2017, up 5% on the same quarter in 2016. However, the proportion of the 
total admissions accounted for decreased by two percentage points to 8% of all judgments. 
Enforcements and Warrants 
There were 96,000 warrants issued in July to September 2017, an increase of 33% on the 
same quarter in 2016. Over the longer term, issued warrants fell between 2000 and Q2 
2014, to 48,000. They have since gradually increased, driven by warrants of control (which 
made up 77% of all warrants in July to September 2017). This increase is likely due to the 
introduction of the Secure Data Transfer system by HMCTS for the issue of warrants of 
control.  This enables bulk customers to not only issue money claims digitally but also the 
subsequent enforcement by a warrant; speeding up and simplifying the process, which has 
led to a customer preference for warrants over other types of enforcement.   
There were 34,000 enforcement-related order applications (which include attachment of 
earnings orders, charging orders, third party orders, and orders to obtain information) in July 
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Total claims
Total judgments
Default judgments

7 
 
to September 2017 and 22,000 actual enforcement related orders made (up 26% and 7% 
respectively compared to the same period last year). Despite increases against the previous 
year however, there has been an overall decreasing trend in enforcement related orders 
made since 2008, possibly due to claimants’ preference for using warrants to retrieve 
money, property or goods instead (as warrants increased over this same time period).  

8 
 
4. Judicial Reviews1 
Of the applications received in 2017 to date, 66% have already closed, and 380 were 
found to be ‘Totally Without Merit’ (18% of cases that reached the permission stage). 
There were 3,100 judicial review applications received in the first three quarters of 2017, down 
5% from the same period in 2016.  
Figure 5: Annual Judicial Review Application, by type calendar year 2000-2016  
(Source: table 2.1) 
 
Of the 3,100 judicial review applications received in the first three quarters of 2017, 1,700 
were Civil Immigration and Asylum applications, 1,300 were civil (other) and 160 were 
criminal, down 13%, up 9% and down 7% respectively on the same period in 2016. Forty of 
the civil Immigration and Asylum cases have since been transferred to the UTIAC. 
In the first three quarters of 2017, 66% of the applications made have progressed and are 
now closed.  Of the total applications, 2,100 reached the permission stage, and of these:  
 
18% (380) were found to be totally without merit (TWM), a three percentage 
point decrease against the proportion over the same period in the previous year.  
 
390 cases were granted permission to proceed and 1,700 were refused at the 
permission stage. However, 80 of cases refused at permission stage went on to 
be granted permission at the renewal stage. 
 
So far in 2017, 470 cases have been assessed to be eligible for a final hearing 
and of these, 60 have since been heard. 
 
For the 2017 cases, the mean time from a case being lodged to the permission 
decision was 61 days, up from 58 days and 52 days across the same periods of 
2016 and 2015, respectively.  
The next quarterly bulletin will give more insight into the 2017 cases, as they work their way 
through the system. 
 
                                               
1 The judicial review data are Official Statistics 
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Civil - Immigration and Asylum
Civil - other
Criminal
Unknown
Jurisdiction for most 
Immigration and 
Asylum JRs moved to 
the Upper Tribunal 
(Immigration and 
Asylum Chamber), 
causing the drop in the 
Administrative Court 
JR applications. 

9 
 
Further information 
The statistics in the latest quarter are provisional and revisions may be made when the next 
edition of this bulletin is published. Further revisions may be made when the figures are 
reconciled at the end of the year. If revisions are needed in the subsequent year, these will 
be clearly annotated in the tables. 
Revisions to timeliness 
Following a review of the timeliness data, two discrepancies relating to the derivation of data 
were identified in the previous edition of Civil Justice Statistics Quarterly, covering April to 
June 2017. The discrepancies were as follows: 
1) Substantial increases in the small claim trial timeliness figures at Q1 2017 and Q2 
2017 compared to previous trends (increase of 9% between Q4 2016 and Q1 2017; 
increase of 26% between Q4 2016 and Q2 2017). 
2) Incorrect historic figures dating between 2003 to Q4 2016, resulting in revisions of up 
to 12%, with greater impact seen on fast and multi-track trials. This issue dated back 
to the January to March 2017 statistical release. 
The issues were rectified by reviewing and resolving errors in the methodology of the data 
transformation process, and implementing enhanced quality assurance checks. At this 
release, the correct figures have been published in Table 1.5, and are marked as revised. 
The figures for Q3 2017 remain provisional. Table i and Table ii show the previously 
published and now revised figures respectively between Q4 2016 and Q2 2017. Figure iii 
visually shows the impact of the revisions on small claim trials and fast and multi-track trials. 
Table i: Original timeliness figures (published in CJSQ April to June 2017) for Q1 2017 
and Q2 2017. 
  
Small claims  
Fast track/multi track 
Average time 
taken between 
issue and trial 
(weeks) 
Average time taken (weeks) 
Between issue & 
allocation to track 
Between allocation to 
track & trial 
Between issue & trial 
Q4 2016 
30.0 
22.1 
32.1 
54.2 
Q1 2017 
32.7 
21.7 
32.2 
53.9 
Q2 2017 
37.8 
23.1 
33.5 
56.6 
 
Table ii: Revised timeliness figures (published in CJSQ July to September 2017) for 
Q1 2017 and Q2 2017. 
  
Small claims  
Fast track/multi track 
Average time 
taken between 
issue and trial 
(weeks) 
Average time taken (weeks) 
Between issue & 
allocation to track 
Between allocation to 
track & trial 
Between issue & trial 
Q4 2016 
30.4 
21.1 
31.8 
52.9 
Q1 2017 
30.6 
22.1 
32.7 
54.8 
Q2 2017 
31.1 
22.6 
32.9 
55.5 

10 
 
Figure iii: Average time taken between issue and trial (weeks) for small claim trials, 
and fast and multi-track trials. Showing original and revised figures 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rounding convention  
Figures greater than 10,000 are rounded to the nearest 1,000 and those between 1,000 and 
10,000 are rounded to the nearest 100. 
 
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. 
 
A set of overview tables and CSV files, covering each section of this bulletin. 
 
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. 
 
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
revised - small claims
original (error) - small claims
revised - fast and multi track
original (error) - fast and multi track

11 
 
 
 
Contact 
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) press office: 
Andrew Hamilton - email: xxx@xxx.xx  
 
Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Justice Statistics Analytical 
Services division of the Ministry of Justice: 
Bridgette Miles - email: xxx@xxx.xx 
 
Next update: 1 March 2018 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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