Day 279 - 12 Jul 96 - Page 28


     
     1        more concerned about is that if there is something which
     2        might not be obvious that I should be told about it.  But
     3        what I suggest you do is let Mrs Brinley-Codd check your
     4        note and then an agreed list of corrections, which it is
     5        thought are important enough to bring to my attention, can
     6        be sent to Mr. Glen.
     7
     8   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, just a few very short matters, I will not
     9        detain anybody very long with any of this.  It would be a
    10        great help to me, I do not know about anybody else, if
    11        before the end of next week your Lordship would give an
    12        indication, if inclined to do so, which your Lordship may
    13        not be, first of all obviously the time, the date when you
    14        would like those submissions to be made.  Secondly, without
    15        laying down, I am not asking for rules or regulations, but
    16        the sort of form and length which your Lordship would find
    17        convenient in a case of this size.
    18
    19             I made a suggestion the other day, I am not convinced
    20        it was a terribly good suggestion, but it was one that way
    21        of doing it that occurred to me.  I am not asking your
    22        Lordship to give me an indication now.
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I have an idea in my mind.  What I think is
    25        absolutely essential is to finish submissions comfortably
    26        before the end of next term.
    27
    28   MS. STEEL:  Is there a date for the end of next term?  We never
    29        know what the dates are.
    30
    31   MR. RAMPTON:  There is, but I cannot say what it is.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is normally around 21st December.  I mean,
    34        in another case I would have asked both sides to reduce
    35        their submissions to writing.  I do not actually think it
    36        would be productive to insist on that from the defendants,
    37        for a variety of reasons I need not go through.  If I am
    38        not going to call on the defendants to do it, I am not
    39        going to ask you to do it, Mr. Rampton.  If you choose to
    40        do it, it would be very welcome.  But, as I am not going to
    41        direct that the defendants do, I am not going to direct
    42        that you do.
    43
    44             What seems to me to be fair, because I think everyone
    45        should have a fair amount of time to prepare and deliver
    46        their submissions, but a stage comes where the public
    47        interest steps in.  From Monday 22nd July to Monday 7th
    48        October is eleven weeks.  If we resumed then, as I am quite
    49        convinced everyone ought to be able to, ready to go on
    50        submissions, there would be one week which could be
    51        available for formal proofs, if necessary, but otherwise
    52        submissions could start.  Then, after that one week, there
    53        are about nine weeks to the end of term.
    54
    55             It seems to me that from now, or Monday 22nd July, to
    56        Monday 7th October, allowing a period of complete break
    57        from the case, is enough to prepare submissions.  If they
    58        are taking longer than that to prepare, they have got too
    59        complicated.  It is, in fact, although I have not reasoned
    60        it out in this way by doing a sum, it would be the

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