The number of personal injury cases being heard has dropped by more than 40 per cent in the past four years.
The amount of money being paid out in court cases plummeted by more than €124 million last year, the Court Service annual report shows.
The report reveals there were 12,989 new personal injury cases last year across the courts in 2024, down from 13,434 in 2023. In 2024, there were 41% fewer new personal injury cases than in 2019 when the figure was 21,981.
Awards paid out in the high court fell substantially from €256m to €135m, while at circuit level awards dropped from €16m to under €13m, and at district court level from €2.2m to €1.5m. Overall, court awards declined 45 per cent or €124.7m year-on-year to just under €150m.
Meanwhile, new civil cases across all courts increased to almost 184,000 last year up from 180,000 in 2023, 170,000 in 2022, and 140,365 in 2021 - a rise of new civil cases of 31 per cent over four years.
The courts completed 148,120 civil cases last year up from 143,644 in 2023 and 137,000 in 2022. The report reveals the courts finalised 11,000 more civil cases last year than two years previously.
Most of the increases in the civil area occurred in the high court where 21,371 new cases were initiated last year. This was an increase on the 17,346 new cases in 2023 and the 2022 figure of 15,971. Over two years the high court has seen an increase in new cases of 33 per cent.
Applications to wind up 89 companies were made in 2024, compared to 44 in 2023. The number of winding up petitions presented in 2024 is just over double the number presented in 2023.
Approximately 37% of the total number of winding up petitions presented in 2024 were presented by the Revenue’s collector general compared to 14% of the total in 2023.
In 2024, the Office of the Legal Costs Adjudicators received 912 new cases to determine costs where they have not been agreed between the parties.
In total, the office of adjudicators received €145.3m in claims for legal costs in 2024. Overall, there were 1,019 Adjudication cases with a value €176.1m, disposed of last year.
(Pic: Getty Images)
