§ Sir G. Howeasked the Attorney-General how many small claims have been brought under the small claims arbitration provisions in the county courts since their inception.
The Attorney-GeneralThe number of cases referred to arbitration under these provisions from their inception on 1st October 1973 to 30th October 1974 was 5,123. It is not possible to say how many cases were brought, as no statistics are kept of the number of requests for arbitration made in the claim or defence, and the majority of cases are disposed of by payment or default judgment or at a pre-trial review. The figure given refers only to those cases in which an arbitration was ordered.
§ Sir G. Howeasked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement concerning the operation of the small claims arbitration procedure in the county courts.
The Attorney-GeneralExperience of the new procedure during the first year of its operation has been most encouraging. More than one-third of the cases previously tried by registrars are now516W dealt with informally by arbitration. In addition, many cases are disposed of at a pre-trial review by the registrar without the need for a hearing. My noble and learned Friend is considering whether further changes are desirable to improve the procedure, and a conference of registrars is to be held early next year for this purpose. 150,000 leaflets explaining the scheme have been made available at county court offices, citizens' advice bureaux and other centres for the information of intending litigants. With this information and the help of court staff many people have been able to make or resist small claims without legal representation and my noble and learned Friend hopes that more will do so as the scheme becomes more widely known.