Day 130 - 26 May 95 - Page 44


     
     1        A.  Andrew Foster, who did the Health and Safety Executive
     2        assessment.
     3
     4   Q.   You were the liaison person?
     5        A.  I was coordinating the meetings.
     6
     7   Q.   You had lots of informal discussions and formal discussions
     8        and thing likes that?
     9        A.  Quite a few discussions, yes.
    10
    11   Q.   As to why McDonald's was chosen for this particular report,
    12        I think you mentioned something about some kind of national
    13        profile or something; is it because they were interested in
    14        the catering industry and they wanted to look at McDonald's
    15        as an example and see what they could learn, or something
    16        like that?
    17        A.  From memory, what Andrew Foster told me, at the time
    18        they were interested in various organisations, involved --
    19        various organisations, across the industry and they had
    20        never actually worked with a catering organisation like our
    21        own before, so one of the reasons they were interested in
    22        coming to us, and carry out the assessment, was to see what
    23        they could learn from us as being a different sector, But
    24        also, as I explained, at the time we were liaising with
    25        around about 300 different local authorities.  Obviously,
    26        the benefits to us, and to them, in coming to us and giving
    27        us the benefit of their expertise, was something that
    28        worked on both sides.
    29
    30   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Think what you want to make of the report.
    31        It may be significant because it might be thought it is an
    32        independent and expert enquiry, in some depth, into
    33        McDonald's, nearer to the time when you are alleged to have
    34        played a part in publishing the leaflet.  A lot of evidence
    35        we have heard, and Mr. Rampton, to some extent anyway,
    36        asked, if my memory serves me correctly, Mrs. Barnes about
    37        matters where she might have a reservation about it, so
    38        I am going to be inclined to think, unless you, Ms. Steel
    39        or Mr. Rampton argue to the contrary,, at the end of the
    40        day, that it might be a pretty fair independent assessment
    41        of the situation, for good or bad, so far as McDonald's are
    42        concerned.
    43
    44        There are some complimentary things about McDonald's and
    45        there are some criticisms or, at least, some suggestions
    46        about how they might reassess the situation and improve
    47        things.  If that is an even-handed approach, you do not
    48        have to put to Mrs. Barnes:  "Do you agree with this?" or
    49        "What do you make of that?"
    50 
    51   MR. MORRIS:  No, I was not going to. 
    52 
    53   MR. JUSTICE BELL: Are you content with that?
    54
    55   MR. RAMPTON:  She did say, when I asked her the general question
    56         -----
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  She was complimentary.
    59
    60   MR. RAMPTON:  She said:  "A very fair and balanced account".

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