Magistrates Court Statistics (Provisional Statistics)
January to March 2011

Contents

• Summary
• Figure 1 - Percentage of adults entered and disposed of in the court divisions
• Figure 2 - Waiting times in weeks in adult magistrates’ courts
• Table 1.1 - Scheduled court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts by division & venue
• Table 1.2 - Additional court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts by division & venue
• Table 1.3 - Special court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts by division & venue
• Table 2.1 - Adult criminal defendants received in the magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 2.2 - Adult criminal defendants disposed of in the magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 2.3 - Average waiting times in the adult magistrates' courts by division & venue
• Table 2.4 - Number and type of charges brought for adult defendants disposed of by business area
• Table 2.5 - Outcome of adult defendants disposed of by business area
• Table 3.1 - Youth defendants received in the magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 3.2 - Youth defendants disposed of in the magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 3.3 - Average waiting times in the youth magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 3.4 - Number and type of charges brought for youth defendants disposed of by business area
• Table 3.5 - Outcome of youth defendants disposed of by business area
• Table 4.1 - Civil applications received in the magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 4.2 - Civil applications disposed of in the magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 4.3 - Average waiting times in the civil magistrates’ courts by division & venue
• Table 4.4 - Outcome of applications under the Family Homes & Domestic Violence Order in the magistrates’ court in Northern Ireland

Data source and validations:

Data from the Integrated Courts Operations System (ICOS) are used for this publication. This system has been chosen as it is the main system within the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS). The data are input to this system on a daily basis. A download from this system is supplied to the Statistics and Research team on a weekly basis on flat files.

This information is downloaded via SPSS and validations are produced from this system to ensure that the data are reliable and robust for use. Any inconsistencies are reported back to individual court offices and if required, any necessary amendments are made to the data. Once, these amendments have been checked, computer syntax is then used to produce the tables in the bulletin.  The aggregated total figures in the bulletin are produced from the computer syntax. The data are broken down by court location as this is the established way of producing and presenting these data.
To ensure that timely data are used, the latest available extract is used to compile this bulletin.

Summary

During January to March 2011:

• There were 1,170 scheduled magistrates’ sittings of which:

• There were 66 additional magistrates’ sittings of which:

• There were 61 special magistrates’ sittings of which:

• 14,554 new adult criminal defendants were received in court and 14,421 adult defendants were disposed of during the period. (Figure 1)
• The majority of prosecutions disposed in the adult court were brought by PSNI/ PPS.

Figure 1: Percentage of adults entered and disposed of in the court divisions

• The volume of adult business was highest in the Division of Belfast.
• The average waiting time in the adult criminal court from first hearing to disposal was 7 weeks. (Figure 2)
• 749 new defendants were entered in the youth court and 811 youth defendants were disposed of in the youth court.
• The average waiting time in the youth court from first hearing to disposal was 13 weeks.
• 1,550 new civil applications were entered and 1,399 civil applications were disposed of.
• The average length of time for a case to progress through the civil court was 9 weeks from date of issue to disposal.

Figure 2: Waiting times in weeks in adult magistrates’ courts (1st hearing to disposal)

Table 1.1: Scheduled court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table1.1a: Scheduled court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts for Northern Ireland

A court sitting day is counted as any day where the judiciary sit in court. It does not include time in chambers or days where the judiciary are sitting in chambers.

Table 1.2: Additional court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table 1.2a: Additional court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts for Northern Ireland

A court sitting day is counted as any day where the judiciary sit in court. It does not include time in chambers or days where the judiciary are sitting in chambers.

Table 1.3: Special court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table 1.3a: Special court sitting days & average court sitting times in the magistrates' courts for Northern Ireland

A court sitting day is counted as any day where the judiciary sit in court. It does not include time in chambers or days where the judiciary are sitting in chambers.

Table 2.1 Adult criminal defendants received in the magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table 2.1a Adult criminal defendants received in the magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland

Table 2.2 Adult criminal defendants disposed of in the magistrates' court by division & venue

Table 2.2a Adult criminal defendants disposed of in the magistrates' court in Northern Ireland

Table 2.3: Average waiting times in the adult magistrates' courts by division & venue

Bench warrants, adjourned generally and deferred sentences excluded

Table 2.3a: Average waiting times in the adult magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland

Bench warrants, adjourned generally and deferred sentences excluded

Table 2.4: Number and type of charges brought for adult defendants disposed of by business area

Table 2.5: Outcome of adult defendants disposed of by business area

Table 3.1 Youth defendants received in the magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table 3.1a Youth defendants received in the magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland

Table 3.2 Youth defendants disposed of in the magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table 3.2a Youth defendants disposed of in the magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland

Table 3.3: Average waiting times in the youth magistrates' courts by division & venue

Bench warrants, adjourned generally and deferred sentences excluded

Table 3.3a: Average waiting times in the youth magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland

Bench warrants, adjourned generally and deferred sentences excluded

Table 3.4: Number and type of charges brought for youth defendants disposed of by business area

Table 3.5: Outcome of youth defendants disposed of by business area

Table 4.1 Number of civil applications received in the magistrates' court by division & venue

Table 4.1a Number of civil applications received in the magistrates' court in Northern Ireland

Table 4.2 Number of civil applications disposed in the magistrates' court by division & venue

Table 4.2a Number of civil applications disposed in the magistrates' court in Northern Ireland

Table 4.3: Average waiting times in the civil magistrates' courts by division & venue

Table 4.3a: Average waiting times in the civil magistrates' courts in Northern Ireland

Table 4.4 Outcome of applications under Family Homes & Domestic Violence Order in the magistrates' court in Northern Ireland

For further information on this publication please contact:

A Mallon
Statistics and Research
Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service
Laganside House
23-27 Oxford Street
Belfast
BT1 3LA

Tel: 028 9072 8928