The Family Justice Review Panel pulled no punches when it delivered its interim review on the family justice system last week.

After spending a year gathering evidence by visiting courts around the country, it discovered a court process riddled with ‘scandalous’ delays, and concluded that the family justice system performs so poorly it ‘is not a system at all’.

Panel chair David Norgrove was stunned by the basic nature of the processes he encountered. At a press conference launching the report, he said: ‘The filing system in one court was appalling and its IT system consisted of a number of supermarket trollies to move the files around in.’

Obiter wonders if they are the type with a pound inside? Every little helps, after all.