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

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