24 extra judges on bench speeds up court throughput

Both the Central and Circuit Criminal Courts experienced an increase of 7% in new cases last year, the Courts Service 2023 annual report shows.

Courts Service chief executive Angela Denning (pictured) said that the appointment of 24 new judges had had an instant impact, reducing backlogs and waiting times.

The new appointments also supported initiatives such as the Planning and Environment Court and administration associated with the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, she said. 

The number of cases finalised increased by 10% in the Central Criminal Court and 5% in the Circuit Court.

Waiting times down

Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell, in his foreword to the report, said: “This increased throughput reflects further progress in alleviating waiting times, which had built up during the years of the pandemic.”

The Central Criminal Court volume of cases on hand remains 61% higher than in 2019, with a 56% increase in new cases in 2023 in comparison with 2019.

O’Donnell said that the Courts Service was now close to reaching its 25th birthday and was now a mature and constantly-evolving organisation.

The significant reform of the centuries-old wards of court system saw, during the first eight months of 2023, 413 applications to the Circuit Court, resulting in 270 orders.

The 2015 Capacity Act also provides for the discharge of all adult wards of court from wardship within three years from 26 April 2023.

High Court case-management

There were 12,901 new cases in the High Court during 2023 – an almost 5% increase. In October 2023, a new High Court case-management system was launched.

O’Donnell said that he was pleased to see the appointment of 24 new judges in 2023.

Almost 550,000 new cases came before the courts in 2023.

Asylum cases doubled

Asylum cases more than doubled on the previous year. A total of 779 asylum judicial-review cases lodged with the High Court last year represented a 132% increase year-on-year.

The High Court saw an 8% increase in new cases, while there was a 25% increase in applications for domestic-violence protections over a five-year period.

Drugs cases down

Drugs cases were down by 10.5% over five years and larceny, fraud, and robbery charges were down 10% over five years.

Drugs accounted for 29,809 new cases before the District Court last year  down from 30,045 in 2022, and over five years down from 33,242 in 2019.

Public-order and assault cases – down 9% since last year.

Road traffic accounted for 170,839 new cases in 2023 – almost a 25% reduction over five years.

A total of 3,211 new sexual offences were received by the District Court last year – down from 3,600 on 2019, an 11% reduction.

367,000 new criminal matters

A total of 367,000 new criminal matters were presented to the courts last year and 338,000 cases were finalised.

The number of offences of more serious crime reduced from 21,024 in 2022 to 19,569 offences in 2023.

The courts finalised cases relating to 26,486 serious offences last year – up from 24,242 the previous year.

Likewise, at District Court level – despite a small decrease in less serious crime incoming – the court disposed of 338,392 cases last year. This was up from 308,315 in 2022.

The Central Criminal Court saw a three-quarters increase in the number of cases dealt with compared with five years ago, partly due to the use of modern court facilities outside of Dublin.

Last year the Central Criminal Court sat in Waterford, Limerick, Kilkenny, Wexford, Longford, Sligo, Castlebar, Carrick-on-Shannon, Mullingar, Tullamore, Monaghan, and Cork.

539 sentences for rape

A total of 539 sentences for rape (including attempted rape) were handed down last year in the Central Criminal Court following trials involving 741 offences and 101 defendants.

Sentences ranged from life sentences in 42 cases; over ten years in 290 cases; between five to ten years in 135 cases; two to five years in 34 cases; and up to two years in 38 cases.

And 62% of the 539 sentences handed down for rape (including attempted rape) ranged from ten years to life imprisonment.

The District Court sent 16,875 more serious offences to the Circuit Court last year, involving 6,271 defendants.

510 acquittals

Of the cases resolved by the Circuit Court 13,229 offences saw a guilty plea, 758 saw conviction following a trial, with 510 acquittals (along with other outcomes).

Public-order and assault cases totalled 43,750 new cases last year – down from 47,990 in 2022. This shows a decrease of 9% year-on-year.

Road-traffic offences accounted for 170,839 new cases in 2023. This is down from 181,969 last year, and, over five years, down from 226,000 in 2019 – almost a 25% reduction.

And 3,211 new sexual offences were received by the District Court last year – down from 3,600 in 2019, an 11% reduction.

New civil cases across all courts increased to almost 180,000 last year up from 170,000 in 2022, and 140,365 in 2021.  

The courts completed 143,644 civil cases last year – up from 137,000 in 2022. 

PI awards

Personal injuries accounted for 13,434 new cases last year, of which 4,538 were in the High Court, 7,500 in the Circuit, and 1,401 in the District Court.

In 2022 the figure totalled 12,459 – but this was down from 21,981 in 2019. In 2023 there were 39% fewer new PI cases than in 2019.

The High Court awarded €256,515,241 in awards last year for personal injury – roughly the same as 2022.

The highest award in the High Court was €20,500,000 – with the lowest being €1,279.

Medical-negligence cases accounted for €167,162,945 of the total amount.

At Circuit level, the mean awarded for all cases was €16,700,875 – across 871 cases: the highest award was €76,841 and the lowest €1,000.

The District Court awarded €2,158,170 in personal-injury cases.

212 possession orders

Possession cases regarding property increased to 1,091 last year from 898 in 2022. The Circuit Court granted 212 possession orders last year – similar to the previous year.

There was a large drop in breach-of-contract cases last year, down to 336 from 1,458 the previous year.

Recovery-of-debt cases increased to 20,492 cases last year – up from 17,291 in 2022.

Bankruptcy petitions made to the High Court by creditors increased to 78 last year – up from 17 in 2022.

4,850 divorces granted

Divorce cases applied for last year totalled 5,218 – down from 5,551 the previous year.

The courts granted 4,850 divorces last year.

2023 saw an increase of 10% in the number of applications for Supreme Court leave to appeal filed, when compared to 2022, as well as a 9% increase in the number of applications determined by the Supreme Court.