Day 015 - 21 Jul 94 - Page 09

     
     1        with McDonald's as far as the contribution to the business
              is concerned.
     2
         MS STEEL:  What amount of money is derived from your
     3        relationship with McDonald's?
 
     4   MR. RAMPTON:  I must object to that question.  It has no
              relevance to this case.  Unless a direct attack is to be
     5        made upon Professor Wheelock's impartiality, I cannot
              think the amount of money he gets from his relationship
     6        with McDonald's has anything to do with the case.
 
     7   MS. STEEL:   It may be.
 
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Are you making an attack on his
              impartiality?  You are entitled to, if you wish to.
     9
         MS. STEEL:   We may be going to -- I want to take this line of
    10        enquiry.
 
    MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think you should answer the question,
              unless you have some particular personal reason which you
    12        want to tell me about why you should not?
              A.  Can you repeat the question again?
    13
         Q.   The total of your fees from McDonald's last year, a round
    14        figure to start with?
              A.  Well, I really do not see why I should disclose that,
    15        your Honour.  What is the point of the question?
 
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Why is it necessary to know the figure when
              you have the 20 per cent?
    17
         MS. STEEL:   Because if his income is £100 total, that is only
    18        £20 he is getting from McDonald's, but if he has a huge
              income then he is going to be getting a considerable
    19        amount of money from McDonald's.  That may well be
              relevant.
    20
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  In that case I do not think he should answer
         the question because I think you have achieved all you
              need to achieve from that point of view from the 20 per
    22        cent contribution to their turnover, in a situation where,
              at the end of the day, they managed to make a small
    23        profit.
 
    24   MS. STEEL:   We do not know what the turnover figure is.
 
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It does not matter.  You have a limited
              company which says it got what seems to me to be a very 
    26        significant amount of its turnover from McDonald's. 
  
    27   MS. STEEL:   OK.  I think the fact he is not willing to divulge
              the information says something.
    28
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It seems to me it is just prying when you go
    29        to amounts because you have established that there is a
              significant dependency on McDonald's fees.  That is all
    30        you need for any suggestion of lack of independence, if
              you choose to argue it in due course.