asked the Attorney-General what is the average length of time between the filing a notice of reference to the Lands Tribunal under section 1 of the Lands Compensation Act 1961 and (a) the first interlocutory, preliminary or other hearing of the registrar or tribunal, (b) the final decision of the Lands Tribunal on that reference, excluding those cases going to the Court of Appeal on a point of law and (c) the final decision of the Lands Tribunal on those cases going to the Court of appeal; what proportion of Lands Tribunal cases go to the Court of Appeal; and what proportion are settled by the sealed offer scheme.

In references to the Lands Tribunal under section 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1961,

(a) the length of time between the filing of a notice or reference and the first interlocutory, preliminary or other hearing cannot usefully be expressed as an average because it varies at the will of the parties; the average time however between the issue of an application for an interlocutory hearing and the hearing is three weeks;

(b) the average length of time between the filing of a notice of reference and the final decision of the Lands Tribunal in those cases which do not go to the Court of Appeal is nine months;

(c) the average length of time between the filing of a notice of reference and the final decision of the Lands Tribunal in those cases which do go to the Court of appeal is three years.

In the last ten years 0·83 per cent. of all Lands Tribunal cases, and 0·68 per cent. of those cases referred to it under section 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1961, went to the Court of Appeal.In 1980 there were, overall, 26 completed cases involving a sealed offer, of which 10 settled. Amongst these were 18 cases referred under section 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1961, of which nine settled.