Day 134 - 13 Jun 95 - Page 67


     
     1        16, 17, 18 plus, 21 plus, that was a computer printout.
     2        Somebody who was 15, where what would happen to them?
     3        Would that be a separate entry?
     4        A.  The company normally does not employ people aged 15.
     5        I am not aware that we have people employed by Company
     6        operated restaurants who are 15.  We employ people of
     7        school leaving age only.
     8
     9   Q.   So you just would not be aware of it; if it was happening
    10        it would not come up?
    11        A.  Yes, it would.  It would be flagged.  I do not quite
    12        know what the sheet would look like, but there would be an
    13        "employed under age" something.  It would be highlighted.
    14        If someone was under 16 it would be rejected.  It is a
    15        payroll type thing and it would come out via the payroll
    16        computer.  That is why I am not familiar with the document,
    17        but it would be highlighted.
    18
    19   Q.   We have had cases of McDonald's being prosecuted for the
    20        employment of school age children.  We have had examples of
    21        entries in injury accident books of people on work
    22        experience.  Mr. Nicholson said that -- we saw a memo which
    23        basically advised people on the employment of school aged
    24        children or under school leaving age children.
    25        A.  Was that perhaps to franchisees?
    26
    27   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That was to franchisees, but there was a
    28        possibility of some restaurants employing people under 16
    29        to a limited extent at some stage.  Do you know about that?
    30        A.  I know that it may have happened before in the past at
    31        some point.  There may have been ----
    32
    33   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, it is only fair to the witness to point
    34        out that the convictions date from the early 1980s before
    35        she held her present position.  Mr. Morris should have
    36        pointed that out.
    37
    38   MR. MORRIS:  Mr. Nicholson wrote to the ILEA saying that because
    39        of recruiting difficulties they were considering or
    40        activating the employment of under school leaving age
    41        children.  All I am saying is has that been monitored to
    42        see whether any stores have done that or how many?
    43        A.  No, because this will again, perhaps I am still
    44        forgetting that we are talking about quite a way back, all
    45        of this is back to that point, so it is certainly not a
    46        policy that is in operation now.  It may have been
    47        something that was thought about then.  I do not think it
    48        was ever done very actively.  I am as sure as I can be that
    49        if someone under 16 is put into the computer that there is
    50        a something, a flag that comes up in the computer. 
    51        Franchisees would be different of course.  We would not 
    52        have any record of those. 
    53
    54   MS. STEEL:   I do not know whether you still have that file
    55        open, but the document at letter E.
    56
    57   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Document E behind your statement.
    58
    59   MS. STEEL:   Are these produced on a regular basis, or was this
    60        just a one-off?

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