The limit for claims before the Small Claims Tribunal would be increased to €5,000, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said.

Addressing a press conference to unveil a series of reforms in civil proceedings, Dr Bonnici said the tribunal change would cut down on around 150 cases being filed in court each year.

The tribunal, he said, had a much faster clearance rate of around 120 per cent, meaning cases would be handled quicker.

The current limit for claims before the tribunal is €3,494.

Moreover, it would only cost people going to the Tribunal €54 so savings would not only be administrative, but also financial.

For it currently cost around €275 and a further €260 to appeal to file a case in court. This would mean “overnight savings” of some €535 per appealed case.

Dr Bonnici said the reform would come into force as soon as the law was approved by Parliament.

The tribunal would also be fast track through the introduction of ex tempore sentences – a system already in place across most of Europe, which allows faster judgements.

This was because judgements would be given summarily, meaning that the reasons behind it would only have to be given if appealed.

Dr Bonnici also announced a reform of the process for the revocation of proxy documents. The process currently costs on average around €2,000, which Dr Bonnici described as “restrictive”.

Other reforms include empowering appeal courts to correct mistakes in judicial acts which often went unnoticed for years. This would make the judicial system more credible.

The reform would also expedite appeals when agreement was reached.

Another reform would allow a Superior Court to decide where to move a case filed before the wrong court without the need for refiling.