Day 081 - 31 Jan 95 - Page 31


     
     1
     2   Q.   You are not aware of that?
     3        A.  No.
     4
     5   Q.   What exactly is your area of expertise?
     6        A.  Environmental Health.
     7
     8   Q.   So you would not look into botulism in cattle as an
     9        example?
    10        A.  Not botulism in cattle, no.  I cannot say I have heard
    11        of that.
    12
    13   Q.   Do you not need to be aware of all the various diseases,
    14        bacteria, that are likely to crop up in ---
    15        A.  I am no longer ---
    16
    17   Q.   -- meat?
    18        A.  -- a practising environmental health officer so it is
    19        permissible for me not to be completely up-to-date, but I
    20        would have thought that was an unlikely occurrence.
    21
    22   Q.   So are you aware generally of the diseases that occur in
    23        food animals?
    24        A.  Yes.
    25
    26   Q.   You would be?
    27        A.  Yes.
    28
    29   Q.   As a matter of interest, does Strathclyde University or
    30        your department have any links with McDonald's?
    31        A.  Not that I am aware of.
    32
    33   Q.   Have you done any work for McDonald's in the past or your
    34        department?
    35        A.  We are actually employed by the solicitors who
    36        sometimes have in the past given us work to do for
    37        McDonald's.
    38
    39   Q.   How many times is that?
    40        A.  I am not sure exactly, maybe three times.
    41
    42   Q.   That is in relation to food poisoning incidents?
    43
    44   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, Ms. Steel is in danger of trespassing on
    45        privilege ground, I think.  I put that out as a warning.
    46
    47   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, just pause a moment.  I do not think it
    48        actually limits what you are seeking for.  There is a
    49        privilege in the hands of one of the parties to this action
    50        because, presumably, you are talking about McDonald's UK 
    51        which is the Second Plaintiff in the action, in so far as 
    52        any legal advice is concerned.  I do not want to go into 
    53        the extent and limits of that because I think probably it
    54        is not relevant to what Ms. Steel wants to ask you.  But if
    55        you are worried about that at any stage, raise it and we
    56        will deal with it.  But I think what you are being asked at
    57        the moment is whether you have been, or members of your
    58        department have been, engaged as an expert witness with
    59        regard to environmental health prosecutions, for instance?
    60        A.  Yes, sir, they have.

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