§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the difficulty and expense of collating and giving full and complete particulars of cases throughout the country, he will give the information which is readily available for cases that have been awaiting trial for 12 months or more, in a selected and stated number of courts.
§ The Attorney-GeneralNo specific figures are kept for cases that have been awaiting trial for 12 months or more.26W In civil cases, where the parties are ready for trial, the trial will, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, commence in less than 12 months unless the parties otherwise desire it. In criminal cases, the delay between committal for trial and trial, or before trial in a magistrates' court where a case is ready for trial, is likely to be substantially less than 12 months in the absence of exceptional circumstances. If my hon. Friend has any particular cases of delay which he would like to raise, I will gladly consider them.