Civil cases fall to lowest number for ten years

The number of civil actions raised in Scotland has fallen to the lowest level in almost a decade.

The latest statistics show 73,640 civil law cases were initiated across the Court of Session sheriff courts and Sheriff Personal Injury Court in 2016-17 – the lowest number since 2008-9.

The figure was a drop of 5 per cent from the previous year and represented a 44 per cent fall since recording started in 2008-9.

Compared to the previous year, the number of cases initiated in the Court of Session dropped by 48 per cent. The fall was the result of a huge decrease in the number of personal injury cases at the court due to 2014 reforms that saw the establishment of the Sheriff Personal Injury Court in 2015. The number of cases initiated in the sheriff courts also dipped by 5 per cent.