Court statistics for 2010 show drop in High Court claims

The Ministry of Justice has recently published its Judicial and Court Statistics for 2010. These show a drop in High Court claims issued in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as well as nationally. Points of interest include:

• Claims issued in the Commercial Court decreased 16%, from 1,256 in 2009 to 1,060 in 2010. This compares to a 25% increase between 2008 and 2009.
• Claims issued in the Queens Bench Division in London were down 15%, from 5,694 in 2009 to 4,864 in 2010.
• There was a substantial drop in activity in both the Bankruptcy Court and the Companies Court.
• The number of claims issued in the Chancery Division in London (4,810) showed little change from 2009, in contrast to the 30% increase between 2008 and 2009.
• Claims issued in the Technology and Construction Court in London were down slightly, from 495 to 465, but when District Registries are included there was a 17% increase on 2009.