Day 129 - 25 May 95 - Page 03

     
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     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If and when the time comes to refer to any
     3        part, I can perhaps have one of the two which are being
     4        lent to Ms. Steel and Mr. Morris for the time being, but
     5        what my suggestion is that we put the audit forms and that,
     6        once they have been handed out, on one side, you continue
     7        your cross-examination, Ms. Steel, regardless of those
     8        documents, and we will pick up any pieces later.
     9
    10   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, I have reflected on what your Lordship
    11        was saying yesterday.  Mrs. Barnes has brought (and that is
    12        why Mr. Atkinson is not here, he is going through them) the
    13        remainder of that accident statistics report and I believe,
    14        though I have not seen them, the Task Group, the Health and
    15        Safety Task Group, minutes.  I bear in mind that your
    16        Lordship indicated not that he would order discovery but
    17        indicated that it would be convenient if there was not an
    18        argument about it.  There may have to be an argument about
    19        it, I do not know. What I thought might be helpful is if
    20        the cross-examination continues and concludes, in so far as
         it can at the moment, when everybody has had a chance to
    22        digest whatever new material we do disclose, then your
    23        Lordship can make a decision after that when Mrs. Barnes
    24        has gone whether she needs to come back at some future
    25        stage in the case.  That again there may have to be an
    26        argument about.
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    28   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think the next step is for you to continue
    29        the cross-examination which you have prepared.  When you
    30        have concluded that, let me know.  We will see what stage
    31        we have got to then, what the information is, and if there
    32        is any problem arising out of further discovery, which has
    33        been made, or which you argue should be made, then we will
    34        deal with that in due course, and the consequences of it in
    35        due course.
    36
    37                     MRS. JILL BARNES, recalled.
    38                Cross-Examined by Ms. Steel, continued.
    39
    40   Q.   I wanted to ask some questions about food safety, which you
         have responsibility for.  I believe you were involved in
    42        the investigations into the incident of food poisoning at
    43        Preston?
    44        A.  When we were made aware of Preston, I went up to the
    45        restaurant and liaised with the Environmental Health
    46        Officers, but my involvement concluded at that and I was
    47        not involved in any of aftermath at Preston.
    48
    49   Q.   So did somebody from the Company actually investigate it,
    50        or were you relying on the Environmental Health Department 
    51        to investigate it? 
    52        A.  In terms of what happened at the restaurant, myself and 
    53        the Operations people locally liaised with the
    54        Environmental Health Officers.
    55
    56   Q.   So you were relying on what they found?
    57        A.  The Quality Assurance Department would have been the
    58        ones that followed up on the meat with the suppliers.  My
    59        interest was purely at the restaurant.  As far as we could
    60        ascertain, our procedures at the time had been followed.