Following the provisions under the Divorce Dissolution and Separation act coming into force on 6th April 2022, the latest figures published by the Ministry of Justice over a 12 month period show that 33,566 applications for divorce were made under the new and old law. This is a 22% increase on the same period last year and the highest number of applications in a decade.
There is speculation that the significant increase of divorce applications is due to couples holding off applying for a divorce until the ‘no fault’ legislation came into force.
Interestingly out of the 33,566 applications made between April and June, 33,234 were made under the new regime.
The average time from the date of a divorce petition to decree nisi was 36 weeks, an increase of 12 weeks from the previous year.
Under the new law, couples have to wait for a 20 week period after proceedings have stated before they can apply for a conditional order, previously a decree nisi. The government have stated that this is to provide the couple with a ‘meaning period of reflection and the chance to reconsider’. It could also be used as time for the parties to agree to the financial division of the matrimonial assets outside oflitigated Financial Proceedings.
Over the next few months, the divorce increase may begin to plateau due to the cost of living crisis and the economic uncertainty. It will be interesting to note whether couples will decide against getting divorced due to the risk of splitting into two households and the added expense involved or whether the divorce numbers will continue to rise.
If you or your spouse require assistance and advice with the divorce process our experienced family team are here to assist.
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