PERHAPS Des Hanafin should have waited for the British figures before turning to the Supreme Court - or indeed the people - to tackle the thorny problem of divorce.

The Margin was startled to discover that more than 1,000 people faced bankruptcy in Britain last year because of debts linked to divorce or child maintenance.

A new survey found divorce and child maintenance accounts for 10 per cent of all domestic personal insolvencies.

The survey was carried out by the Society of Practitioners of Insolvency and followed anecdotal evidence of the financial effects of family breakdowns.