Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Jul 1996

Vol. 468 No. 4

Written Answers. - Judicial Separation Applications.

Alan Shatter

Question:

635 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice the number of applications made and decrees granted under the Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act, 1989 in each Circuit Court area for the periods 1 October 1989 to 31 July 1996; and the total number of such Circuit Court applications made and decrees granted from the commencement of the Act to 31 July 1996. [15683/96]

Alan Shatter

Question:

636 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice the grounds on which decrees under the Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act, 1989 were granted in the Circuit Court in each county in the period October 1989 to 31 July 1990 and in each full legal year thereafter up to the legal year 1 August 1995 to 31 July 1996. [15684/96]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Owen)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 635 and 636 together.

I have previously indicated my dissatisfaction with the systems in place within the criminal justice system for compiling statistics in such a way that everybody using the statistics is clear as to the precise meaning. For example, I have found that in the past court statistics were maintained primarily for the purpose of measuring activity levels and thereby measuring resource requirements for the courts.

Taking the case of statistics relating to applications for judicial separation as an example, previous Ministers for Justice and myself have given figures in respect of the number of applications for judicial separation to the Circuit Court since the enactment of the Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act, 1989, to 31 July 1995, which, if totalled would come to over 11,000. Such statistics, which have been given many times, were a measure of the actual volume of business which was before the courts over the years, but in some cases involved an element of double counting, if a case went from one term to another.

When I became aware of the lack of clarity and difficulties of interpretation which existed in the past in relation to judicial separation statistics, I instituted a complete review of such statistics to ensure that everyone who had occasion to use the statistics would know exactly what was represented by the figures produced to avoid any double counting.

The actual number of individual applications for judicial separation which were made to the Circuit Court frem the commencement of the 1989 Act of 31 July 1995 was 6,712.

A breakdown of the number of applications made and decrees of judicial separation granted under the 1989 Act by each Circuit Court area is as follows. The review of judicial separation statistics did not focus on recording the grounds under which decrees of judicial separation were granted. Such information is not readily available and could only be compiled by the allocation of very scarce resources from other more important tasks.

The information sought by the Deputy in relation to the number of applications for judicial separation and the number of decrees granted for the 1995-96 year will be compiled after the completion of the current legal year which ends on 31 July next and I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Statistics Relating to Applications for Judicial Separation which were made under The Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act, 1989.

Period 19.10.89 to 31.12.90

County	Received in the period	Heard and granted
Carlow	6	1
Cavan	3	2
Clare	11	2
Cork	135	72
Donegal	8	3
Dublin	388	165
Galway	58	37
Kerry	12	2
Kildare	15	8
Kilkenny	2	1
Laois	8	3
Leitrim	7	5
Limerick	23	3
Longford	5	2
Louth	32	13
Mayo	14	1
Meath	27	5
Monaghan	3	1
Offaly	7	5
Roscommon	9	4
Sligo	39	17
Tipperary	14	7
Waterford	14	5
Westmeath	10	6
Wexford	5	3
Wicklow	20	4
Total	875	377

Period 1.1.91 to 31.7.89

County	Received in the per- iod	Heard and granted
Carlow	5	1
Cavan	1	0
Clare	19	12
Cork	91	47
Donegal	11	5
Dublin	227	168
Galway	27	13
Kerry	11	8
Kildare	16	8
Kilkenny	2	0
Laois	8	2
Leitrim	1	1
Limerick	21	7
Longford	3	3
Louth	21	13
Mayo	11	9
Meath	16	11
Monaghan	9	6
Offaly	15	6
Roscommon	7	6
Sligo	20	13
Tipperary	10	7
Waterford	3	1
Westmeath	8	7
Wexford	4	2
Wicklow	11	13
Total	578	369

Period 1.8.91 to 31.7.92

County	Received in the period	Heard and granted
Carlow	5	5
Cavan	3	3
Clare	24	16
Cork	128	72
Donegal	17	14
Dublin	493	332
Galway	41	18
Kerry	24	15
Kildare	67	28
Kilkenny	5	2
Laois	6	9
Leitrim	10	6
Limerick	64	19
Longford	6	6
Louth	41	33
Mayo	16	11
Meath	42	24
Monaghan	21	21
Offaly	16	10
Roscommon	17	14
Sligo	28	21
Tipperary	16	10
Waterford	22	12
Westmeath	23	20
Wexford	27	6
Wicklow	31	18
Total	1,193	745

Period 1.8.92 to 31.7.93

County	Received in the period	Heard and granted
Carlow	9	2
Cavan	8	4
Clare	29	17
Cork	190	180
Donegal	18	15
Dublin	469	360
Galway	50	40
Kerry	29	20
Kildare	58	27
Kilkenny	12	4
Laois	13	6
Leitrim	5	4
Limerick	51	46
Longford	9	10
Louth	59	29
Mayo	33	19
Meath	30	26
Monaghan	21	17
Offaly	19	13
Roscommon	22	20
Sligo	32	29
Tipperary	32	15
Waterford	38	10
Westmeath	22	18
Wexford	24	14
Wicklow	46	22
Total	1,328	967

Period 1.8.93 to 31.7.94

County	Received in the period	Heard and granted
Carlow	23	5
Cavan	6	6
Clare	44	17
Cork	164	125
Donegal	27	21
Dublin	478	319
Galway	67	44
Kerry	49	17
Kildare	29	20
Kilkenny	13	12
Laois	16	10
Leitrim	6	9
Limerick	57	39
Longford	7	5
Louth	46	29
Mayo	26	16
Meath	29	19
Monaghan	36	15
Offaly	18	15
Roscommon	20	21
Sligo	34	29
Tipperary	27	11
Waterford	30	12
Westmeath	29	22
Wexford	16	16
Wicklow	43	38
Total	1,340	892

Period 1.8.94 to 31.7.95

County	Received in the period	Heard and granted
Carlow	14	4
Cavan	19	13
Clare	27	26
Cork	180	115
Donegal	34	20
Dublin	515	325
Galway	74	38
Kerry	35	27
Kildare	32	37
Kilkenny	15	11
Laois	4	11
Leitrim	20	11
Limerick	75	38
Longford	13	12
Louth	41	29
Mayo	20	17
Meath	44	20
Monaghan	20	25
Offaly	10	9
Roscommon	25	19
Sligo	24	20
Tipperary	36	19
Waterford	26	26
Westmeath	22	22
Wexford	25	8
Wicklow	48	27
Total	1,398	929