§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General whether he will give for any stated period of time details showing how long it takes on average for a case in the courts to proceed from the lower court to the High Court, Court of Appeal and the House of Lords; and how this average time compares with the actual stated time taken for the cases affecting the five dockers, the container dispute and the Transport and General Workers' Union to proceed.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAn average figure would not be significant, and is in any event not available. Where time is of the essence, special arrangements are made to expedite the hearing of cases and appeals. It is not desirable to accord all cases an equal degree of priority, and where no priority is given the time taken depends largely on the diligence with which the appellant prosecutes his appeal.