Small Claims Court (Hansard, 19 April 1994)

§ Mr. Mans
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many leaflets his Department distributed in 1993 explaining the processes of the small claims courts.

Mr. John M. Taylor
A series of seven leaflets explains the small claims procedure in county courts. The total number distributed in 1993 was approximately 1.5 million. The leaflets are distributed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office to court offices, trading standards offices, citizens advice bureaux and other advice agencies.
422W

§ Mr. Mans
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many actions were commenced through the small claims court in each year from 1990.

Mr. John M. Taylor
The term "small claims court" refers to the arbitration procedure in the county court. The number of arbitrations heard—which mainly, but not exclusively, consist of cases below the small claims limit—in England and Wales since 1990 were:

Number

1990 52,360

1991 ¹61,919

1992 80,341

1993 105,843

¹ On 1 July 1991 the maximum sum claimable through the small claims procedure increased from £500 to £1,000.

	Number
1990	52,360
1991	¹61,919
1992	80,341
1993	105,843
¹ On 1 July 1991 the maximum sum claimable through the small claims procedure increased from £500 to £1,000.