Day 187 - 13 Nov 95 - Page 45
1
2 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is unlikely that it will actually be -- if
3 Christmas Day is the Monday, as it clearly is, of the
4 following week, it may well be that that is school holiday
5 anyway, those four days.
6
7 MR. MORRIS: I can let the Plaintiffs know tonight, if that is
8 helpful.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What I suggest, you leave it there for the
11 moment, Ms. Steel, I will give Mr. Rampton an opportunity
12 to say anything he likes about that, but I would like to
13 have a look at his provisional schedule for completing the
14 evidence.
15
16 MR. RAMPTON: It has this effect -- I do not want to say
17 anything at all about Ms. Steel's application; that is a
18 matter for your Lordship; it is none of my business really,
19 except to say that it means another four day backward shunt
20 of my schedule which, as your Lordship will see, is, to say
21 the least, regrettable. I have a piece of paper here which
22 indicates that the Haringey school holidays -- I am not
23 sure if this is the right local authority ---
24
25 MR. MORRIS: It is, yes.
26
27 MR. RAMPTON: -- but, if it is, the term ends the same day as we
28 in court do, Thursday, the 21st.
29
30 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I have been asked to chair two conferences
31 early next year, one on Thursday and Friday the 18th and
32 19th January -- I said I have been asked, I am committed to
33 doing it -- and another on Thursday and Friday the 14th and
34 15th March, which will mean that I cannot sit on those four
35 days.
36
37 MR. RAMPTON: Can I hand this up? That is another problem, that
38 is a loss of another four days, so be it. My Lord, what I
39 am going to hand up is purely hypothetical; it is an
40 exercise in imagination. I have put into it -- I will hand
41 it up now (handed) -- all the Defendants' potential
42 witnesses for all topics. I have also given an indication
43 of two areas which I will refer to in a minute -- three
44 areas, sorry, where we expect to ask your Lordship's leave
45 to call witnesses other than those that we have so far got
46 statements from, and that is in relation to Colchester
47 arising out of Mr. Coton's statement which was served the
48 other day, and dealing with the period in which Mr. Coton
49 was the Manager. They are presently in my imaginary list
50 for the 11th and 12th January, those witnesses.
51
52 My Lord, I do expect to call some witnesses from Bath to
53 deal with the specific matters raised by Mr. Logan. It may
54 be that Mr. Richards will have to be recalled, at the very
55 least to explain the numerous documents we have now got,
56 and (if I can) in relation to Mr. Beech and Heathrow I may
57 have to ask your Lordship for leave to call a witness or
58 witnesses in relation to him. I have put that down for the
59 5th to the 9th February, after which one had hoped that
60 that would be the end of employment. In view of what your
