Rule 1.4 Court’s duty to manage casesI1

encouraging the parties and any other persons concerned in the proceedings to co-operate with each other—

identifying the issues at an early stage;

deciding promptly which issues (if any) need full investigation and a hearing in court and accordingly disposing of others summarily or on consideration of written representations F1(and see rule 18.1(2)(l));

deciding the order in which issues are to be resolved;

fixing timetables or otherwise controlling the progress of the case;

considering whether the likely benefits of taking a particular step justify the cost of taking it;

dealing with as many aspects of the case as the court can on the same occasion;

dealing with the case without the parties needing to attend court;

making effective use of technology; and

giving directions to ensure that the resolution of a case proceeds quickly and efficiently F2(see Part 11).