Day 124 - 10 May 95 - Page 36
1 MR. MORRIS: Right.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Put it another way: If, indeed, it is
4 relevant, whether they would welcome their attention being
5 drawn to any possible adverse environmental effects
6 concerned with their business. Put it that way, you see.
7
8 It also begs the question as to whether the education comes
9 from pressure groups or from what government has put out or
10 from one's enquiries and what one reads. I am not going to
11 assume in this case that an advance comes as a result of
12 any one of those three possible sources, or some other
13 source, unless the evidence is quite clear on it. My own
14 experience is they often move together.
15
16 MR. MORRIS (To the witness): As the court has heard, the HCFC,
17 or it used to be called CFC-22, I believe ---
18
19 MR. RAMPTON: No, I do not think so. It was always called
20 HCFC-22.
21
22 MS. STEEL: No, it was not, it was called CFC-22.
23
24 MR. MORRIS: -- as the court has heard, is still damaging to the
25 ozone layer and it is still being used by the McDonald's
26 Corporation eight years, or something, seven years, after
27 the controversy of whatever kind in the late 80s and 17
28 years, 16 years, after the US government banned their use
29 in aerosol sprays, so that would be CFCs, but it is still a
30 related concern. So why are they doing it? Why do you
31 tolerate it if you care so much about the environment?
32
33 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I do not believe that is a proper
34 question.
35
36 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is a statement of assertion of your
37 construction of the evidence which, at the end of the day,
38 may or may not be accurate ---
39
40 MR. RAMPTON: Quite.
41
42 MR. JUSTICE BELL: -- followed by a question of the witness
43 without even asking him whether he knows about these
44 things.
45
46 MR. MORRIS: You know that some parts of your empire, or your
47 system, or your family, are still using HCFC blowing
48 agents, do you not, in their polystyrene foam packaging?
49 A. I do not consider myself to be knowledgeable on that
50 subject. I do not know all the countries that may use
51 styrofoam packaging. Yes, I am aware of a few countries
52 that use styrofoam packaging.
53
54 Q. Right, so despite the knowledge and the education that the
55 Corporation has had, why is it still continuing to be used?
56 A. Well, your point of view is that it is damaging to the
57 environment. I think that is yet to be determined.
58 I think there is certainly, you know, a group on one side
59 of that argument and there is, you know, a group on the
60 other side of that argument.
