The option to lodge cases with the Small Claims Court online was taken up by almost half of all applicants in the pilot regions in the first nine months of last year, new figures show.
Last November, the Courts Service introduced the online option in 16 District Court offices in counties Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Wicklow, Carlow, Cavan, Limerick, Wexford and Mayo.
Applicants lodge their claims online with the Small Claims registrar and the other party is informed. If the claim is rejected by the other party, then the registrar may mediate to reach an agreement. If the registrar is unable to bring about a settlement, then he or she will bring the case to the District Court for a hearing if requested. More than half of these cases are resolved without a court hearing.
The claimant can monitor the progress of their application online with the use of a pin number. In the first nine months of last year, 46 per cent of the 2,145 applications to the 16 offices were dealt with through the online system.
The figures also show a 28 per cent increase in total claims in the pilot regions since the online option became available.
"It's envisioned this will continue to grow as people see that they have the facility to process their applications online and avoid having to come in to court offices," a spokesman for the Courts Service said.
The Small Claims Court is a way of taking a case quickly and inexpensively without necessarily going to court or involving a solicitor. Claims of up to €2,000 can be dealt with and typically involve complaints about faulty goods, poor quality services, bad workmanship and minor damage to property.
The number of cases being taken to the Small Claims Court has increased in recent years. While the 2007 figures for the entire State are not yet compiled, some 2,990 applications were made in 2006, compared with 2,705 in 2005.
In 2006, the largest number of cases involved complaints about holidays, followed by electrical goods, audio and computer equipment and cars.
Six more court sites went online on December 7th last year and the Courts Service said all other court districts and offices would be offering the online service in the coming months.
On average it takes six months for claims to be dealt with and more than three quarters of Small Claims cases are settled or awarded in the public's favour.
