§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Attorney-General what proposals he has for securing a hearing of long-defended divorce cases and actions in the Queen's Bench Division at the High Court in Caernarvon to obviate the hardship involved to litigants from Gwynedd in journeying to Chester and Mold for the hearing of such actions.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe number of High Court cases at Caernarvon is small, and consequently, visits of High Court judges to Caernarvon are few. When, therefore, the parties to a Queen's Bench or Family Division case arising in Gwynedd desire an early hearing, the only economic procedure is for them to agree to the case being heard at Mold or Chester. It would be wasteful for a High Court judge to visit Caernarvon to hear only one or two cases, and it would also risk delay to the more numerous High Court hearings at Mold and Chester.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Attorney-General what is the number of long-defended divorce cases, and cases in the Queen's Bench Division, which have been heard at Caernarfon during each year since 1970.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThis information is not available for the years preceding 1972, but for that and subsequent years the number of defended divorce actions and trials in the Queen's Bench Division at Caernarvon were as follows.
Defended Divorce Q.B.D. 1972 7 5 1973 3 2 1974 — 1+1* 1975 — 1* 1976 — 1* * These cases were listed for hearing but were settled at the court on the day fixed for the hearing.