Day 142 - 26 Jun 95 - Page 67


     
     1        possibly imagine at the moment -- that is one of the
     2        reasons why I asked that I should get it before the
     3        weekend.  I am not saying I need it any earlier than that,
     4        but what I do not want is that the Defendants should turn
     5        up on Monday clutching something which I need to absorb.
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  As I understood it, Ms. Steel, when you
     8        mentioned the nutrition matter, you were mentioning that
     9        with a view to saying you do not want to deal with that
    10        just yet anyway.
    11
    12   MS. STEEL:  Unless it is complete, but obviously if we do not
    13        manage to get it done in time to hand it to Mr. Rampton
    14        before the weekend, we would not expect him to have to
    15        argue it.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  What you would then have to decide is
    18        whether it is a matter which must be dealt with before the
    19        vacation and, if so, how long it will take to deal with it,
    20        bearing in mind that it seems to me only fair that you
    21        should hand your skeleton argument over a few days before
    22        we actually have the argument.
    23
    24   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, can I say one other thing?  When a list
    25        of topics for interlocutory argument is presented on either
    26        side -- I hope it is clear what this one is talking about
    27         -- I am not asking that there should be summonses or
    28        anything like that, but it is no good, in my respectful
    29        submission, people trying, as it were, to cover up what the
    30        real point is by being opaque in what they put on the list.
    31
    32   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, what I said -- I think Mr. Morris was on
    33        his feet so I said it to him -- if you can on your list
    34        give what the topic is and without it any way being a
    35        skeleton argument just, I think I said, one sentence of
    36        elaboration of what you have in mind.
    37
    38   MR. RAMPTON:  What it is they are actually after is what I need
    39        to know.
    40
    41   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, absolutely.  That is what I tried to
    42        indicate before.  So, without making it in any way an
    43        order, what I would indicate is that I would like you to
    44        produce such a list with what the topic is, and then a line
    45        or a sentence on what it is you are actually aiming for
    46        before close of play on Wednesday which gives you --
    47        I think I heard you say to Ms. Steel you might talk about
    48        it tomorrow evening -- tomorrow to sort that out.
    49
    50        If we have spare time on Thursday after Mr. Stein has 
    51        completed his evidence, I will give Mr. Rampton an 
    52        opportunity to deal with whatever he feels he can deal with 
    53        in the rest of that day on his list.  We will then go over
    54        to Monday to continue the interlocutory arguments and we
    55        can talk on Thursday evening about whether Mr. Rampton
    56        continues or you start afresh on Monday; it just depends
    57        how far we have got, if anywhere.
    58
    59        By the time you leave the court on Thursday, if you are
    60        here, or by Thursday lunch time if not, I would like

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