Information released by Justice Minister Andrew Little appears to show a steady increase in the average age of all District Court criminal cases disposed over the three years from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Little provided the information in response to a large number of parliamentary questions for written answer from National MP Alfred Ngaro.

The information on criminal cases shows the average age of cases disposed in the year to 31 December 2015 was 84 days. This had risen by 90 days for the year to 31 December 2016, and was 100 days in the year to 31 December 2017.

Average age of all District Court criminal cases disposed of in 12-month period

Information released in response to questions from Mr Ngaro showed that the average time to dispose of District Court civil cases has fallen between the end of 2015 and 2017. The disposal time is calculated from the first substantive application filing date to the date of disposal.

Average time to dispose of all District Court civil cases disposed of in 12-month period

Mr Ngaro also requested information on the average time to dispose of substantive Family Court applications. The information provided by Mr Little shows that the average disposal time has increased slightly. The disposal time is calculated from the first substantive application filing date to the date of disposal.

Average time to dispose of substantive Family Court applications in 12-month period

The number of active criminal cases in the District Court has remained relatively steady in the past two years, information disclosed in response to a further series of questions shows.

Active criminal cases in District Court at end of each month