§ Ms. Harmanasked the Attorney-General if he will estimate the costs of (a) contested divorces and (b) uncontested divorces and ancillary proceedings in both cases in legal aid, court time and enforcement procedures, respectively; and if he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of such costs, including those of magistrates' courts, and give such figures for each year of the last 10 years.
§ The Attorney-GeneralGross payments made on legal aid bills for matrimonial proceedings in the High Court
154W
Year Defended Divorce* £ million
Divorce Ancillary Proceedings £ million
Other Matrimonial Proceedings† £ million
Total Matrimonial Proceedings £ million
Leal Advice and Assistance £ million
1973–74 10.7 1974–75 13.1 1975–76 16.4 1976–77 21.1 1977–78 23.9 1.7 1978–79 0.7 3.2 19.9 23.8 3.9 1979–80 1.4 8.4 13.7 23.5 5.5 disposed of and (c) actions determined by the court where (i) orders for possession were refused and (ii) orders for possession made were suspended of (x) 28 days or less, and (y) over 28 days; and, in the case of the latest year, if he will break the figures down according as to whether the plaintiff was (1) a building society, (2) a bank, (31 a local authority and (4) other.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe information requested by the hon. Member on actions entered, orders refused and orders made is given in the following table. Figures for actions entered and orders refused are full data; figures for orders made are estimates based on a sample of three months' data collected each year. Accurate information is not available on actions withdrawn, settled, adjourned sine die, not served, or otherwise disposed of. Information collected as to the type of plaintiff only distinguishes whether or not the plaintiff is a local authority. Figures for cases where building societies and banks were the plaintiffs are thus given under "Other."
and county courts since 1973 and those made for legal advice and assistance in relation to divorce since 1977 are set out in the following table. Disaggregated information on payments made in respect of matrimonial proceedings can only be provided for those proceedings commenced after 1 April 1977.
It is not possible to identify separately payments made in respect of proceedings in the magistrates' courts relating specifically to divorce. Information is not available in the form requested in respect of the costs of court time and enforcement procedures.
155W
Year Defended Divorce* £ million
Divorce Ancillary Proceedings £ million
Other Matrimonial Proceedings† £ million
Total Matrimonial Proceedings £ million
Leal Advice and Assistance £ million
1980–81 2.2 17.1 10.9 30.2 7.9 1981–82 3.3 26.8 8.7 38.8 10.3 1982–83 4.2 37.7 7.9 49.8 12.8 * Includes the cost of ancillary proceedings where these were paid at the same time as the cost of the divorce. † Includes divorce proceedings commenced before April 1977, nullity and judicial separation proceedings.