§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the longest interval between the close of a trial and the delivery of the written judgment of the court since 1987. [38207]
406W
§ Mr. Hoon[holding answer 20 April 1998]: In the vast majority of cases judgments are delivered immediately at the end of trial. Where judgments are reserved, the average period before delivery varies, but, for example, the most recent figure in the Chancery Division is 15 working days and in the Queens Bench Division is 10 working days. The available information indicates that the longest delay in recent years, which was wholly exceptional, was 22 calendar months in the case of Goose v Wilson Sandford (Court of Appeal, 13 February 1998).