§ 53. Mr. John Morrisasked the Attorney-General what is the average length of time between the reference of a case from the United Kingdom to the Court of the European Community; and how this compares with the time taken in 1973.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI assume that the question is asking what is the average length of time between the dispatch of a case from the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice and the ruling of that court. I shall answer the question on that basis. Over the last two years the average length of time is 12 months. There were no references from United Kingdom courts in 1973. The average length of time for references in 1974 to 1976 was 8½ months.