Courts Service figures show fall in drink-driving cases and increase in divorce applications

The figures also revealed a steep increase in debt settlements and a rise of 5 per cent in bankruptcy.

Around 436,471 of the cases related to crime. With the vast majority, 405,007, going before the District Court, 61 per cent of which related to traffic offences.

The figures, released today by the Courts Service, show there were 7,218 orders made in relation to drink driving, around a 15 per cent drop in comparison with figures released last year.

Although drink driving figures saw a decrease, there was no fall in the number of dangerous driving cases with still 3,923 cases coming before the courts.

190,763 civil matters were resolved out of the 248,245 cases which came to court, with the majority of new cases (147,617) appearing before the district courts.

There were 18,992 personal injuries suits filed in 2015, a 7 per cent increase on the previous year. The biggest High Court award was ¤13.52 million; the smallest was ¤208.

The Court Service report showed a nine per cent increase in the number of divorce applications to around 4,314, 24 of which were High Court cases and the rest appeared in the Circuit Court.

Of the applications, 24 per cent, in the High court, and 58 per cent, in the Circuit Court, were made by wives.

Applications in the District Court relating to domestic violence numbered 14,374, an increase of six per cent on last years figures. The courts received 1,735 applications under the debt resolution mechanism introduced by the Personal Insolvency Act 2012, an 84 per cent jump on 2014.