Civil action numbers steady, latest figures show
The number of civil court actions raised in Scotland in 2013-14 was little changed on the previous year, according to the latest official figures. However the total of 77,345 actions was 41% down on the cases brought in 2008-09, largely because of a halving in the number of debt actions raised.
Of the total, 94% (72,511) were raised in the sheriff court, and 41% of these were small claims. The number disposed of was down 4% at 65,356, but the report states that the large variety of case types and procedural outcomes that can be pursued in civil law make accurate recording and reporting difficult, and the number of ordinary cause and summary application cases disposed of is an underestimate.
In the Court of Session, the number of causes begun was down 2% from 4,943 to 4,834, but the number disposed of was up 6% from 4,712 to 4,999. Personal injury cases, which have fluctuated in number since 2008-09 rather than reflecting the general downward trend, made up over three quarters of the cases in the General Department, and one third of all personal injury actions were raised in the Court of Session. This will end when the Court of Session jurisdiction threshold is raised from £5,000 to £100,000 under the pending civil court reforms.
Also published in the report are findings of the civil justice module of the 2012-13 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey. These claim that almost one in four adults in Scotland (23%) had experienced at least one civil law problem in the previous three years, such as home or family arrangements – including neighbour issues, the most common single problem – money or consumer problems, "unfair treatment", and health and wellbeing. Only 17% of those with problems planned to contact a solicitor or lawyer, and a further 18% a citizens' advice bureau.