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13.5
A questionnaire-based timetable should be introduced as part of the summons
for directions
For there to be a better-tailored court-determined timetable, the court must be given
accurate information about the case. To achieve this, it is proposed that each party be
required :-
(a)
to fill in a questionnaire giving the court and the other parties information and
his best estimates regarding the nature, size, complexity and case management
needs of the case;
and
(b)
to propose directions and time-limits for compliance linked to his view of the
needs of the case up to and including a proposed trial date or proposed trial
period, that is, a period during which the trial is to commence.
It is envisaged that this questionnaire should constitute the first part of the summons
for directions procedure, to be completed prior to discovery but after the close of
pleadings. This is a little later than the time suggested in Proposal 18 for
administering the questionnaire.
This is partly with a view to minimising front-
loaded costs and partly to ensure that all the pleadings are available to the parties
before they attempt to complete the questionnaire.
Notes
A similar approach is presently adopted in the Construction and Arbitration List, where an
"information sheet" has to be served on the court before the hearing of the summons for directions:
It proposes that this should be done "shortly after service of the defence".
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