§ Sir Peter Millsasked the Attorney-General what, over the last two years, has been the average interval between the close of a hearing by a Commons Commissioner under section 6 of the Commons Registration Act 1965 and the publication of his decision; what decisions currently outstanding have been outstanding for a longer period; and if he will in each such case give the date on which the hearing was concluded.
§ Mrs RumboldI have been asked to reply.
Over the past two years the average interval between the close of a hearing by a Commons Commissioner and the publication of the decision has been four months. This figure has been to some extent distorted by a series of very complex Dartmoor decisions, which involved hearings lasting for over 90 days, and over 8,000 applicants.
Currently outstanding for a longer period are 12 South Yorkshire cases which were heard on 2 December 1985 and one Devon case, West Anstey, which went to the Court of Appeal and was reheard on 8 October 1985.
§ Sir Peter Millsasked the Attorney-General how many disputed claims under the Commons Registration Act 1965 remain to be heard by a Commons Commissioner in accordance with section 6 of that Act; how long these hearings have been outstanding and when he expects all such hearings to be completed.
§ Mrs RumboldI have been asked to reply.
Seventeen local authorities have outstanding cases, but they are not all able to estimate the exact number. It is thus not possible to provide figures for the total number of disputed claims, nor how long it will take to resolve these.