Day 116 - 26 Apr 95 - Page 14


     
     1        A.  That is correct.
     2
     3   Q.   Then it gives you a chart or a plan, how you can tell what
     4        the school leaving age is?
     5        A.  Yes.
     6
     7   Q.   I do not need you to look at that.  Tell us this, so far as
     8        you were aware, how often, if ever, were these requirements
     9        broken, in practice?
    10        A.  I am not personally aware of any of these requirements
    11        were broken in practice.  They may well have been, but one
    12        of the roles of the supervisory staff in the Operations
    13        Branch and the Field Personnel Officers was to visit stores
    14        to ensure that that kind of thing did not happen.
    15
    16   Q.   What was the company's attitude in this matter?  Was it
    17        something the company minded about or did it just shrug its
    18        shoulders and say:  "Oh, well, these things" -----
    19        A.  No, absolutely not.
    20
    21   Q.   I think you tell us (and we will come to it in more detail
    22        in due course) that there were in -----
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The school leaving age had already gone up to
    25        16 by 1989?
    26
    27   MR. RAMPTON:  It had, my Lord.
    28
    29   THE WITNESS:  Yes, my Lord.
    30
    31   MR. RAMPTON (To the witness):  There were in 1989, I think, 327
    32        salaried managers; would that be about right?
    33        A.  That would be about right.
    34
    35   Q.   Does that include franchisees or not?
    36        A.  No, that would not include franchisees.
    37
    38   Q.   Have you any idea, in the broadest possible proportionate
    39        terms, how often amongst all those managers you found
    40        somebody breaking the rules on these employment
    41        requirements for young people?
    42        A.  I would say it would be extremely rare.
    43
    44   Q.   Do you think it did happen?
    45        A.  To my knowledge, it did not.  If it had happened, it
    46        would have been dealt with very severely.
    47
    48   Q.   What, if you had got to know about it?
    49        A.  Oh, certainly.
    50 
    51   Q.   I am sorry about this, but I am afraid that your evidence 
    52        is going to be a constant shuffling of files.  You will 
    53        have to forgive me for that.  You put volume XI away and
    54        replace it, please, with volume XII -- we can stick with
    55        this one at least for a bit -- and turn to tab 43 towards
    56        the back?
    57        A.  Yes.
    58
    59   Q.   Just glance at that.  It is a two-page document, pages 706
    60        and 707, is it -- I hope it is?

Prev Next Index