§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General whether he will give a breakdown of the £43,261 total legal costs of the Crossman court case, giving the amount claimed by each recipient; for how many hours or days each person claimed; and whether these payments fell within the Government's incomes policy.
§ The Attorney-General£36,675 of the figure of £43,261 represented defendants' costs paid by the Crown. The amounts paid to defendants were either agreed in the light of what might have been awarded had the matter been referred to taxation or were settled by a taxing master of the Supreme Court as the amounts properly payable taking all relevant circumstances into account. £13,250 as agreed was paid to Times Newspapers Ltd., as against £15,640 claimed; £10,189 as taxed to Jonathan Cape Ltd. and Hamish Hamilton Ltd.,358W the publishers, as against £11,597 claimed; and £13,237 as taxed to the Literary Executors, as against £21,569 claimed. It is not possible to give the full information requested by my hon. Friend as only in part is a bill for costs charged on the basis of time spent, but the solicitors concerned claimed for a minimum of 385, 140 and 474 hours respectively.