Simple proceedings
Shorter targets where law and evidence are stable.
Measure 4.07 · timeliness and quality
Legal File 4.07: A Six-Month Civil Justice Target Without Sacrificing Quality
A sound target does not blindly speed up every case; it measures delays accurately and addresses their causes.
A target, not a magic deadline
Measure 4.07 sets a six-month target for the average duration of civil cases. The target is meaningful only if the statistical scope is disclosed. Family, labour, debt and technically complex cases cannot be treated as one uniform administrative product.
Why the average is insufficient
| Indicator | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Median | Half of cases finish before this point. |
| 75th percentile | Three quarters finish before this point. |
| 90th percentile | The slowest part of the distribution. |
| Age of backlog | How long pending cases have already waited. |
| Share under one year | The proportion actually completed within twelve months. |
| Reopening rate | A warning against rushed or incomplete processing. |
Differentiated targets
Family cases
Account for experts, children and interim measures.
Labour cases
Account for evidence and procedural preparation.
Property
Separate simple debt from technical disputes.
Complex litigation
Use milestones rather than an unrealistic uniform cap.
Old backlog
Create a dedicated plan for the oldest cases.
Five-year implementation path
Prototype programming clause
Working clause
Each year the Government shall publish, by case family and level of jurisdiction, the median, 75th and 90th percentiles, age of pending stock and share completed in under one year. The trajectory shall not interfere with judicial independence or defence rights.