More hearings but fewer judgments: Supreme Court annual report

The UK Supreme Court heard more appeals, but issued fewer judgments as compared with the previous year, according to the court's newly published annual report for 2018-19.

The court heard a total of 91 appeals between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, compared with 85 in 2017-18 and 91 in 2016-17, but delivered 64 judgments compared with 78 and 76 in the two preceding years. The number of applications for permission to appeal considered by the Justices was 201 (59 were granted), compared with 228 the previous year and 192 in 2016-17.

With some judgments dealing with multiple appeals, 68 cases were disposed of – 28 appeals were allowed and 32 dismissed, with eight seeing some "other result".

Appeal hearings in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which is co-located with the Supreme Court and shares its administration, rose substantially to 66 compared with 43 and 47 in the preceding years, and 40 judgments were issued compared with 44 and 38. It received 56 permission to appeal applications, of which nine were granted, and an additional 45 appeals as of right.

Writing her final foreword as President, Lady Hale highlights the visit from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in February 2019 as a particularly happy occasion, remarking that the royal couple took time to meet everyone who works in the court which "gave a real boost to our morale and we are very grateful".

She acknowledges the former Deputy President, Lord Mance and the two other justices, Lord Hughes and Lord Sumption, who retired during this period. Paying tribute to their work she states: "it would be wrong not to open this foreword without mentioning them, and in particular Lord Mance who has served with such distinction at the highest level of the judiciary in the United Kingdom over so many years, and represented us so ably on the international stage. I was delighted that his career culminated in his appointment as Deputy President and am grateful to him for his support to me in that role".

She also welcomes Lady Arden, the third woman to be appointed to the court, and Lord Kitchin who were sworn in in October 2018, and Lord Sales who was sworn in in January 2019.

Lady Hale describes notes the court's historic first sitting in Belfast in April 2018 as another highlight of the year. Two high-profile cases were heard and the Justices even judged a moot final between Queen's University, Belfast and Ulster University. Lady Hale takes the opportunity to thank those in Belfast for their generous hospitality during this time. The chief executive, Mark Ormerod, also comments that the sittings outside London have proved to be very popular, and notes that preparations are well underway for the court to sit in Cardiff in July 2019.

In other work, Justices delivered approximately 70 speeches at engagements, which the report notes "have the added effect of helping to promote the work of the court and the rule of law".

Earlier this year the court introduced a new education initiative to reach out to schools and colleges who are not able easily to visit the court in London. The programme, called "Ask a Justice", allows schools to request a video conversation with a Justice. 

In financial terms, the court's net operating cost (excluding changes to the valuation of its building) increased to £5,156k (from £4,717k in 2017-18). The accounts show that the Supreme Court and JCPC incurred total expenditure of £13,158k during 2018-19 (£6,289k of which was judicial and staff costs), up from £12,757k, and recouped almost £8,002k in court fees, contributions from the UK court services, and other income (down from £8,040k).

Click here to view the full annual report and accounts.