Caseload, Case Disposal and Waiting Time at Different Court Levels

District Court

CASELOAD AND CASE DISPOSAL OF THE DISTRICT COURT

CaseloadDisposal*
  200920102011200920102011
-Criminal Jurisdiction
 Criminal Cases1 4491 4041 3961 3051 3751 436
-Civil Jurisdiction^
 Civil5 5154 5704 9944 4683 4273 715
 Tax Claim7 6036 5065 1696 5906 0114 773
 Distress for Rent 6 3204 9334 4246 3225 0164 513
 Employee's Compensation1 5231 6062 0111 1591 3241 563
 Other civil cases +6 3685 6455 7963 9704 5344 388
 Sub-total 27 32923 26022 39422 50920 31218 952
-Family Jurisdiction      
 Matrimonial Causes16 37417 35918 37414 62915 26615 933
 Joint Applications 2 8893 4904 1692 3732 9013 664
 Miscellaneous Proceedings262270317217169244
 Adoption Applications 9199129989892
 Sub-total 19 61621 21822 98917 317(1)18 434(1)19 933(1)
 Total (Civil) 46 94544 47845 38339 82638 74638 885
 Total 48 39445 88246 77941 13140 12140 321
        
-Masters Chambers      
 Interlocutory hearings**10 9057 8287 63110 5727 6376 786
-Taxation bills       
 Divorce2 8802 7472 1892 5442 5542 077
 Others764502458685425315
 Sub-total3 6443 2492 6473 229(2)2 979(2)2 392(2)
 Total 14 54911 07710 27813 80110 6169 178
*Case disposal refers to those where defendants have been convicted or acquitted and those where claims have been successfully made or dismissed
^On or before 2009, the definition under civil jurisdiction was based on party disposal, i.e. a case was treated as disposed of once one party in a case had been disposed of. Since 2010, the definition has been refined to the effect that a case is considered as disposed of only when all the parties involved have been disposed of
+Other civil cases include Miscellaneous Proceedings, Stamp Duty (Ordinance) Appeals, Equal Opportunities Actions, Personal Injuries Cases, Occupational Deafness (Compensation) Appeals, Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Appeals and Estate Agents Appeals
**The caseload figure represents the number of interlocutory applications listed with hearings, and the disposal figure represents the number of the interlocutory applications heard in the reporting period
 Note (1) : Case disposal refers to Decree Absolute granted and Adoption orders made
 Note (2) : Case disposal refers to taxation bills processed

AVERAGE WAITING TIME FOR CASES IN THE DISTRICT COURT

  Average Waiting Time (days)
  Target200920102011
Criminal - from first appearance of defendants in District Court to hearing
 100 11612886
Civil - from date of listing to hearing 120 1048072
Dissolution of marriage - from setting down of a case to hearing
    
- Special Procedure List
 35 323233
- Defended List (one day hearing)
 110 118128107
- Financial applications - from filing of summons to hearing
 110-140 858890
Last Update Date : 29-02-2012