§ 42. Mr. CHALMERSasked the Attorney-General whether he will recommend that steps be taken to ensure that county court judges should draw up an approximate time-table for the list of cases each day, in order to avoid delay caused through litigants, counsel, solicitors, and witnesses having to be present during the hearing of other cases?
§ The SOLICITOR-GENERAL (Sir Boyd Merriman)I do not consider the suggestion to be a practicable one. The hon. Member will be aware how often estimates of the probable length of a case are proved to be inaccurate; but however inaccurate the forecast may have been the litigant whose case is before the Court is entitled to have it fully presented. To keep to any time-table would therefore be impossible. Much, however, can be done by Judges and Registrars, if solicitors co-operate by giving timely notice of the settlement of cases and of the approximate length of those to be tried; and I am satisfied that, in most courts, all that is practicable in this direction is being done.
§ Mr. CHALMERSDoes not the hon. and learned Gentleman agree with me that it is better to waste occasionally a little of the learned Judges' time than to waste habitually and daily the time of all these other parties?
§ The SOLICITOR-GENERALI think there is a good deal in what the hon. Member says, but to achieve that purpose would involve an enormous increase in the staff of Judges.