Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 22 April 2024.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many open family cases there are in each Designated Family Judge area for (a) public and (b) private family law; and what proportion of those cases in each area involve litigants in person in (i) 31 March 2011, (ii) 31 March 2016 and (iii) 31 March 2019.
The information requested is provided in the data tables below and is taken from HMCTS administrative data systems.
We have not been able to provide figures for 2011 as this data was not recorded centrally before 2014.
Count of the Private and Public Law Open Caseload as at the 31st March 2016 broken down by representative 1,2 | ||||||||
| Public Law3 Open Caseload | Private Law Open Caseload | ||||||
DESIGNATED FAMILY JUDGE AREA | Both Applicant and Respondent were represented | Applicant only represented | Respondent only represented | Neither Applicant nor Respondent Represented | Both Applicant and Respondent were represented | Applicant only represented | Respondent only represented | Neither Applicant nor Respondent Represented |
Birmingham | 188 | 58 | 1 | 9 | 203 | 321 | 124 | 435 |
Blackburn/Lancaster | 264 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 185 | 78 | 196 |
Bournemouth and Dorset | 114 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 86 | 41 | 118 |
Brighton | 141 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 90 | 171 | 93 | 283 |
Bristol (A, NS and G) | 194 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 116 | 141 | 90 | 201 |
Carlisle | 75 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 52 | 20 | 75 |
302 | 93 | 6 | 6 | 224 | 375 | 150 | 606 | |
Cleveland and South Durham | 167 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 107 | 98 | 45 | 117 |
Coventry | 130 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 106 | 116 | 53 | 171 |
Derby | 101 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 76 | 77 | 51 | 96 |
Devon | 169 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 103 | 127 | 79 | 158 |
290 | 96 | 0 | 2 | 267 | 379 | 183 | 630 | |
Essex and Suffolk | 209 | 66 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 221 | 158 | 337 |
Guildford | 60 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 67 | 47 | 138 |
Humberside | 124 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 103 | 53 | 182 |
Leicester | 128 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 88 | 63 | 146 |
Lincoln | 67 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 73 | 40 | 70 |
Liverpool | 371 | 101 | 1 | 5 | 210 | 263 | 158 | 448 |
Luton | 81 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 47 | 100 | 52 | 158 |
Manchester | 326 | 136 | 1 | 4 | 249 | 321 | 154 | 466 |
Medway and Canterbury | 193 | 51 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 93 | 46 | 220 |
97 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 63 | 40 | 96 | |
87 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 54 | 60 | 70 | |
42 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 56 | 29 | 85 | |
Northampton | 121 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 57 | 48 | 155 |
Northumbria and North Durham | 392 | 77 | 0 | 5 | 191 | 220 | 113 | 270 |
Norwich | 92 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 89 | 38 | 116 |
Nottingham | 129 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 135 | 102 | 159 |
Peterborough and Cambridge | 109 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 69 | 30 | 101 |
Portsmouth (Hampshire and IOW) | 154 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 200 | 110 | 301 |
Reading | 201 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 160 | 211 | 109 | 263 |
25 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 214 | 460 | 36 | 164 | |
211 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 165 | 172 | 110 | 227 | |
236 | 47 | 0 | 1 | 134 | 168 | 97 | 264 | |
Stoke on Trent | 123 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 101 | 122 | 81 | 161 |
Swansea | 111 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 133 | 87 | 64 | 65 |
Swindon | 54 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 103 | 54 | 145 |
Taunton | 92 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 43 | 23 | 60 |
Truro | 47 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 46 | 30 | 71 |
Watford | 110 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 90 | 66 | 170 |
277 | 74 | 0 | 2 | 208 | 296 | 167 | 424 | |
308 | 39 | 0 | 5 | 215 | 296 | 135 | 276 | |
Wolverhampton | 213 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 186 | 67 | 174 |
Worcester | 71 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 74 | 44 | 86 |
(blank) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Grand Total | 6996 | 1659 | 17 | 77 | 5062 | 6757 | 3431 | 9154 |
Count of the Private and Public Law Open Caseload as at the 31st March 2019 broken down by representative 1,2 | ||||||||
| Public Law3 Open Caseload | Private Law Open Caseload | ||||||
DESIGNATED FAMILY JUDGE AREA | Both Applicant and Respondent were represented | Applicant only represented | Respondent only represented | Neither Applicant nor Respondent Represented | Both Applicant and Respondent were represented | Applicant only represented | Respondent only represented | Neither Applicant nor Respondent Represented |
Birmingham | 181 | 60 | 0 | 4 | 252 | 368 | 162 | 607 |
Blackburn/Lancaster | 338 | 91 | 0 | 0 | 162 | 271 | 152 | 477 |
Bournemouth and Dorset | 83 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 89 | 63 | 165 |
Brighton | 177 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 167 | 101 | 339 |
Bristol (A, NS and G) | 225 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 169 | 236 | 170 | 430 |
Carlisle | 89 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 49 | 32 | 114 |
Central London | 309 | 116 | 0 | 8 | 270 | 406 | 245 | 543 |
Cleveland and South Durham | 240 | 59 | 0 | 6 | 107 | 127 | 75 | 178 |
Coventry | 180 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 115 | 127 | 98 | 239 |
Derby | 246 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 117 | 110 | 81 | 157 |
Devon | 172 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 192 | 167 | 289 |
East London | 346 | 128 | 0 | 5 | 432 | 594 | 371 | 1068 |
Essex and Suffolk | 223 | 79 | 2 | 4 | 212 | 340 | 218 | 664 |
Guildford | 96 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 106 | 105 | 79 | 291 |
Humberside | 144 | 46 | 2 | 7 | 48 | 122 | 79 | 287 |
Leicester | 132 | 39 | 0 | 5 | 127 | 177 | 105 | 275 |
Lincoln | 98 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 126 | 72 | 155 |
Liverpool | 418 | 156 | 0 | 5 | 244 | 379 | 245 | 689 |
Luton | 55 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 91 | 55 | 181 |
Manchester | 466 | 180 | 0 | 6 | 301 | 457 | 261 | 828 |
Medway and Canterbury | 170 | 51 | 1 | 1 | 132 | 166 | 119 | 370 |
Milton Keynes | 109 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 73 | 43 | 223 |
North Wales | 107 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 91 | 87 | 50 | 93 |
North Yorkshire | 39 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 86 | 114 | 71 | 150 |
Northampton | 123 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 71 | 52 | 193 |
Northumbria and North Durham | 440 | 168 | 1 | 7 | 288 | 377 | 282 | 627 |
Norwich | 141 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 122 | 82 | 203 |
Nottingham | 165 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 164 | 112 | 300 |
Peterborough and Cambridge | 127 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 103 | 75 | 193 |
Portsmouth (Hampshire and IOW) | 207 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 164 | 237 | 168 | 507 |
Reading | 237 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 192 | 232 | 176 | 441 |
Royal Courts of Justice | 14 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 143 | 390 | 27 | 130 |
South East Wales | 243 | 51 | 0 | 6 | 245 | 257 | 188 | 416 |
South Yorkshire | 337 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 181 | 198 | 160 | 390 |
Stoke on Trent | 194 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 132 | 159 | 89 | 244 |
Swansea | 141 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 225 | 154 | 98 | 144 |
Swindon | 83 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 81 | 54 | 160 |
Taunton | 63 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 48 | 53 | 116 |
Truro | 56 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 53 | 53 | 114 |
Watford | 85 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 121 | 84 | 303 |
West London | 346 | 63 | 0 | 1 | 298 | 458 | 265 | 744 |
West Yorkshire | 347 | 123 | 2 | 5 | 309 | 442 | 252 | 539 |
Wolverhampton | 337 | 57 | 1 | 3 | 207 | 240 | 143 | 319 |
Worcester | 58 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 104 | 96 | 59 | 105 |
Grand Total | 8387 | 2233 | 14 | 93 | 6730 | 8976 | 5586 | 15000 |
This is Management Information; the data is taken from a live management information system and can change over time and may differ from previously published data. | ||||||||
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2. A party is considered 'applicant-represented' if at least one applicant has a recorded representative, and likewise for respondents. | ||||||||
3. The majority of Public law applicants are public bodies with access to their own legal resources - however, this legal representation is often not recorded. To address this, we introduced a methodology which assumes that all public body applicants have legal representation. | ||||||||
Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system. |
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