Day 280 - 17 Jul 96 - Page 42
1 finish by that date.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, I think you should finish by not later
4 than -- I would like someone to check that it is a Friday
5 -- the 15th November.
6
7 MS. STEEL: The 15th?
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes because if my arithmetic is right, that
10 is six Court weeks starting on Monday, the--
11
12 MR. RAMPTON: That is correct my Lord, yes.
13
14 MS. STEEL: No.
15
16 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I will make it the 22nd November because that
17 is six Court weeks from Friday the 11th October. What I
18 have in mind there is, I said that I thought we should
19 resume on Monday, the 7th October. I am not concerned
20 about losing three-and-a-half days in the week, of court
21 days in the week before. You have got a week for
22 documents, if required. If that is not required, I am
23 nevertheless prepared that you should start submissions on
24 the 14th October, but I do feel very strongly that you
25 should be able to finish your submissions, whether you make
26 them separately or jointly, in the six weeks which would
27 then follow up to Friday, the 22nd November. Six weeks is,
28 in fact, a very long time, but I have made allowance for
29 the considerable amount of material in the case and for the
30 fact that you are representing yourselves. That is why I
31 have suggested a maximum of three weeks for Mr. Rampton
32 because he has greater experience, obviously, as to what,
33 how to present matters and what to present to me.
34
35 That would if you came to me and agreed that you would
36 finish your submissions by the 22nd October and said "Well,
37 we would like to start on a later date than Monday the
38 14th," or whenever it would be, I might well be amenable to
39 that, but what I would not want to do is put the completion
40 date of the 22nd November back. Mr. Rampton's three weeks
41 would then go to about the 12th December; I will just check
42 that. No, Friday the 13th.
43
44 MR. RAMPTON: Friday the 13th. A good day to end, actually!
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. Friday the 13th December which leaves,
47 in effect, a week of slack. You might, you might want to
48 spend a day or two responding to any new matters of law
49 which Mr. Rampton raises as part of submissions to you.
50 You remember I said there should be an allowance for that.
51
52 MS. STEEL: As I understand it Mr. Rampton said it would only
53 take three days, so it could be done in the three weeks. I
54 am not being funny about this.
55
56 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I dare say it could, but I am not prepared to
57 work on the basis that Mr. Rampton will take less than
58 three weeks. I have might have things to ask Mr. Rampton
59 which might take several days at the end of this. But I
60 really do think that if the earliest we are going to come
