Day 165 - 27 Sep 95 - Page 41


     
     1
     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Apart from anything else, in some ways it is
     3        an advantage to you if you do have one or two dates like
     4        that which are not all part of a block, because otherwise
     5        when you come to your block, you may find you have one, two
     6        or three witnesses who say:  "I am sorry, I cannot do it
     7        any time during that three or four-week block" for some
     8        reason.  You might find there is someone who is grateful to
     9        come along on 18th and/or 19th.
    10
    11   MR. MORRIS:  I was going to see if there was anything else
    12        I wanted to say on this subject.
    13
    14   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I have another suggestion to make.  I wanted
    15        to ask Mr. Rampton first.  If, in principle, I thought it
    16        reasonable that we should work in court just two days of
    17        the half term week ---
    18
    19   MR. RAMPTON:  That is entirely a matter for your Lordship.
    20
    21   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is there any reason from your side of the
    22        court why it should be any particular two days during that
    23        week?
    24
    25   MR. RAMPTON:  None at all.  I would rather it was three but
    26        there it is.  None at all.
    27
    28   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What I suggest that you do, and I address
    29        you, Mr. Morris, because it maybe you are most concerned
    30        with the employment witnesses, having done your best to
    31        fill the 18th and 19th with employment evidence, I would
    32        like you to do your best to fill any two days of the half
    33        term week also with employment evidence.  You have some
    34        slack there which will help you because I am totally
    35        indifferent and it does not concern Mr. Rampton which two
    36        days they are.  So, they do not necessarily even have to be
    37        back-to-back days, though it would be probably more
    38        convenient if they were.  So, you can choose two days which
    39        suit your convenience and the witnesses you manage to get
    40        to come along.
    41
    42   MR. MORRIS:  OK.  Obviously, we will try to firm up at least
    43        some kind of skeleton of a schedule for our employment
    44        witnesses the closer we get to actually calling them.
    45
    46   MR. RAMPTON:  I hope it is obvious.  I have to cross-examine the
    47        witnesses, therefore, I do require some sort of notice of
    48        the order in which they are going to be called; a couple of
    49        days beforehand is simply not good enough.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What it seemed to me it would be sensible to 
    52        do is to do your very best by the beginning of the week of 
    53        Monday 9th October and if we have Monday and/or Tuesday
    54        10th as preparation days, certainly at the latest when we
    55        come back on the morning of Wednesday 11th, to say what
    56        your batting order for Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th and
    57        two days of the half term week is.  Then what you should
    58        also be trying to do is to fill the week beginning Monday
    59        30th October.  When I say "fill", I will be understanding
    60        about the odd short day.  What I suggest is that the

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