Family Law

The Ministry of Justice has released court figures for April to June 2010 revealing that public law children applications are down compared with the equivalent period for 2009. 

The statistics show that in the second quarter of 2010 there were 6,100 children involved in public law applications, a slight drop from the 6,600 in the same quarter last year. 

There were 31,900 petitions filed for dissolution of marriage in the second quarter of 2010, compared with 32,600 last year. However, there was a slight increase in number of decrees absolute granted from 28,500 in the second quarter of 2009 to 29,600 in the last quarter, although the long-term trend over the last few years has been an overall decrease in the numbers of divorces granted. The number of petitions filed for judicial separation was 70 in the second quarter of 2010 compared to 103 in the second quarter of the previous year.

There was also an increase in the total number of orders made to settle ancillary relief disputes from 18,900 in 2009 to 20,200 in the corresponding quarter of 2010.

There were 30,300 children involved in private law applications made in the second quarter of 2010, down from the 34,500 in the corresponding quarter of 2009.