§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Attorney-General whether the Lord Chancellor's Department collects comparative data showing time intervals between the issuing of a writ and a case coming to court for the various categories of civil cases; whether the Lord Chancellor's Department has carried out any investigations to see whether there is 68W evidence of unreasonable delay in the civil legal profess; and whether he has received any allegations about the use of unreasonable delaying tactics in claims for compensation for industrial deafness.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralComparative data as to the time taken between the issue of a writ and hearing of different categories of civil cases is not available and could not be provided without disproportionate cost. The Lord Chancellor keeps delays in the civil legal process under constant review. In March 1979 a working party under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice Cantley published a report reviewing the procedure in personal injury litigation (Cmnd 7476). A number of the major recommendations made in the report have been implemented. No central record is kept of allegations of unreasonable delaying tactics for compensation in industrial deafness proceedings.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Attorney-General if he will give figures showing the range and average level of compensation awards for industrial deafness, in the last three years for which figures are available, for (a) England and Wales and (b) Northern Ireland; and if he will indicate the cases when the size of the award was decided by juries or by judges.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe information requested by the right hon. Member could not be provided without disproportionate cost. An unofficial discussion of the matter can be found in Vol. 2 of Kemp and Kemp on the "Quantum of Damages in Personal Injuries", available in the Library.