§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will publish in the Official Report the reason known to him for the delay in setting down for hearing cases of remand prisoners in Her Majesty's prison, Belfast, who are awaiting trial for scheduled offences.
§ Mr. PriorThere is no one reason. Amongst the factors for the varying length of time that accused prisoners spend on remand are the various elements of case preparation as they affect both prosecution and defence; the complexity of particular cases; the availability of defendants' chosen counsel; and the prevailing volume of work before the courts.