There were 24,624 applications for divorce or the dissolution of a civil partnership under the new legislation between April and June 2023. This is down 30 per cent from the same period last year when the new divorce law was introduced and cases rose. Three-quarters were from sole applicants, and a quarter from joint applicants.
There were 23,458 conditional orders under the new divorce law and these took on average 29 weeks to reach conditional order. Similarly, there were 20,268 final orders under the new divorce law and these took on average 37.5 weeks to reach final order, reflecting the statutory 20 week waiting period between application and conditional order.
The number of domestic violence remedy order applications increased by less than 1 per cent compared to the equivalent quarter in 2022, while the number of orders made decreased by 8 per cent over the same period.
In April to June 2023 there were 1,019 adoption applications, up 3 per cent on the equivalent quarter in 2022. Similarly, the number of adoption orders issued increased by 3 per cent to 1,025.
There were 1,432 applications relating to deprivation of liberty in April to June 2023, down 2 per cent on the equivalent quarter in 2022. Orders however have more than doubled in the latest quarter compared to the same period last year.
Case starts for most case types, including private and public law, decreased over the year whilst the number of cases reaching a final disposal for most case types increased compared to the equivalent quarter in 2022. Timeliness measures for adoption and financial remedy decreased whilst private law continued its long-term upward trend.
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