Day 309 - 03 Dec 96 - Page 70
1 Background Briefing.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I thought you might be. I felt I ought to
4 read all three of them to see where it came in, if at all,
5 and I have to say I stumbled on the fact that the words
6 were not complained of. I did not expect to find they had
7 been missed out but, having brought myself to re-read the
8 counterclaim, I found that they were.
9
10 MR. RAMPTON: The score at the end of the day: Judge 1; counsel
11 nil.
12
13 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am not sure the score will remain that way!
14 When are you expecting to be able to hand over in writing
15 what remains of your submissions?
16
17 MR. RAMPTON: I hope tomorrow, but I do not like to make -- the
18 first draft of all four remaining sections has now been
19 typed. It is just a question of my going through them. If
20 your Lordship will forgive me, at this late stage, I will
21 not send them back to become perfect; I will alter them in
22 handwriting.
23
24 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
25
26 MR. RAMPTON: So, I hope your Lordship will get them by the end
27 of tomorrow.
28
29 MR. JUSTICE BELL: If it was not that there is employment to
30 deal with, and if they had been ready, I might have
31 suggested that we did not sit tomorrow so that people could
32 read them and then I could ask you what I wanted to ask
33 about employment and go straight on to the other matters,
34 having read them. But it seems to me probably the best
35 thing is if we do resume at 10.30 in the morning. We may
36 very well have a short day and finish comfortably before
37 one o'clock and then everyone can go away. I will only say
38 with that in mind that if it is at all possible to have
39 them available by one o'clock tomorrow, that will have the
40 advantage that I, Ms. Steel and Mr. Morris can take them
41 away and begin to look at them, if the time is available,
42 tomorrow afternoon.
43
44 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, we will do our best.
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The possibility is, I will say no more, that
47 I adjourn some time tomorrow morning and then sit again on
48 Friday morning when everyone has had an opportunity to read
49 the further material.
50
51 MR. RAMPTON: It is only about 14 pages altogether.
52
53 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I have asked Ms. Steel and Mr. Morris for
54 their written submissions on the law by this Friday, but we
55 can talk about that tomorrow.
56
57 MR. MORRIS: Sorry, I do not know if we heard that, because we
58 are hoping to meet up with somebody over the weekend and
59 draft them up over the weekend. We have got bits and
60 pieces of various bits of paper that need to be sorted out,
