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Enforcement matters

Producer: Statistics Finland
Homepage: http://www.stat.fi/til/uloa/index_en.html
Main topic: Justice
Related topics:
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Yes
European Statistical System (ESS): No

Description

Statistics Finland publishes statistics on enforcement matters pending and concluded in the enforcement districts of the Ministry of Justice, and on debtors in these matters. Enforcement matters refer to enforcement proceedings pending and concluded in the enforcement districts during the calendar year. Enforcement matters are classified into open or closed according to whether they are still pending after the end of the calendar year or not. The applicant for enforcement can be a natural or legal person. The debtor in enforcement can also be either a natural or legal person.

The basic data for the statistics derive from the data warehouse (dwUljas) of the Enforcement Information System of the Ministry of Justice. Statistics Finland receives the basic data from the ICT Service Centre of the Department of Judicial Administration. In order to describe the positions of debtors in enforcement matters as well as possible, data on several socio-economic variables on them are linked with the basic data. Such variables include age, gender, family type, education and occupation.

Enforcement is most often a matter of collecting judgement debts. It is generally preceded by court proceedings. In the proceedings, the validity of the creditor’s claim is investigated and a payment liability ordered on the debtor. If the judgement is not heeded voluntarily it is carried out compulsorily by way of enforcement. A creditor can request measures from the enforcement authority once the receivable has been established by a court decision imposing a payment liability. Once a receivable enters enforcement proceedings, the enforcement authority usually sends a notification to the debtor indicating that the matter is pending. Some receivables, such as taxes and certain insurance premiums, can be enforced even in the absence of a judgement. Criminal sanctions of a monetary nature, such as fines and summary penal fees, are also collected by way of enforcement if necessary. No court decision is needed for the collection of child support payments, if the child support has been settled by a written agreement which has been confirmed by a child welfare officer. Collection of overdue instalments is based on a sale-by-instalment protocol drawn up by the enforcement officer.

Data content

Statistics on enforcement matters pending and concluded in enforcement districts, and on debtors in these matters by calendar year. Enforcement matters are described and classified by the following variables:

  • Enforcement district
  • Pendency
  • Type of applicant
  • Type of matter
  • Number of enforcement matters

All debtors in enforcement matters are described and classified by the following variables:

  • Enforcement district
  • Type of debtor
  • Pendency
  • Number of debtors in enforcement matters
  • Amount of receivables in enforcement matters (EUR)
  • Number of enforcement matters

Debtors belonging to the permanently resident population of Finland are described and classified in enforcement matters by the following variables:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Main type of activity
  • Level of education
  • Occupation
  • Earned income
  • Family type
  • Number of children

Classifications used

Occupation, age, level of education and main type of activity.

Data collection methods and data sources

The Enforcement Unit of the Department of Judicial Administration of the Ministry of Justice sends Statistics Finland statistical data on numbers and euro amounts of enforcement matters. The data represent total data. They derive from the data warehouse of the Judicial Administration’s Enforcement Information System. The data are supplied by the ICT Service Centre of the Judicial Administration. Data from Statistics Finland’s own files on socio-economic background variables are linked to debtors who have personal ID numbers and live in Finland.

Updating frequency

Annually.

Time of completion or release

Approximately 90 days from the end of the statistical reference time period.

Time series

Starting from 2008.

Keywords

debts, debtor in enforcement, execution

Contact information

http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/uloa/yht_en.html

Last updated 06.05.2015