§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the Lord Advocate's estimate of the likely length of criminal proceedings arising out of the Lockerbie disaster.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonOnce the two Libyan accused have been fully committed in custody for trial before a Scottish court the prosecution authorities must be prepared to commence the trial within 110 days from that 607W date—which means effectively, within 120 days of their being brought before the court following arrest. It is open to the defence to seek a postponement of trial and the court may, for that purpose, extend the 110-day period. A criminal trial arising from an investigation as extensive as the Lockerbie inquiry will inevitably run for a substantial period of time, but the length of the trial is not controlled by the Crown and so it is not possible for my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate to give an estimate of its length.