• Question by: Susan Hall
• Meeting date: 12 October 2023

Susan Hall AM: Thank you, Chair. Mr Mayor, I am really pleased to hear what you have to say today, and I am sure we speak for all of us when I say that the things that we have seen in Israel over the last week have been horrific and heartbreaking. I would say that we stand with Israel in defending itself from this appalling terrorist attack. I feel that this is an issue that goes beyond politics and no matter our political differences I do welcome the work that you have done to ensure that the MPS are providing...

• Question by: Anne Clarke
• Meeting date: 12 October 2023

Anne Clarke AM: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Sadiq, for your comments and I absolutely associate myself with all of them. Thank you also for visiting Golders Green with my council colleague, Councillor Sara Conway [London Borough of Barnet], earlier this week. When you have been meeting with communities across London, what is it that they are telling you about the support they need?

• Question by: Neil Garratt
• Meeting date: 12 October 2023

Neil Garratt AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor, I just wanted to begin by associating myself with your very thoughtful remarks just now on the situation unfolding in Israel and in Palestine. Respectfully, I would like to ask, we were led to believe that the Israeli flag will be flying outside City Hall from 8pm on Sunday [8 October 2023] as a mark of solidarity and respect and I notice that it is not there. I just was curious to understand what was going on and when we will be seeing it there.

• Question by: Lord Bailey of Paddington
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Lord Bailey of Paddington AM: Thank you, Chair. This is for Enver. Earlier on in the conversation, Enver, we talked about asylum seekers’ rights to work and the length of time and people wanted to have it shortened. You said for a length of time, but you did not give a length of time. What to you, would be workable, ideal, something around that region?

• Question by: Zack Polanski
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Zack Polanski AM: Thank you very much, Chair. Good afternoon, panel. Enver, if I can begin with you, I have met recently also with the Joint Council for Welfare of Immigrants. I also went to a protest recently with Reclaim the Sea and spoke to lots of people with lived experience of the system. Something that came up over and over again that you have echoed today is the barrier of not speaking English. In fact, recent census data shows that 303,000 Londoners do not speak English well and 52,000 Londoners do not speak English at all. Page 32 You...

• Question by: Leonie Cooper
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you very much, Chair. I would like to start with a question to Deputy Mayor Tom Copley, if I may. Hi, Tom. Last year, the Mayor said as the Chair of the C40 Cities Group, “One of my priorities is taking urgent action to address the causes and devastating human cost of forced migration created by the climate emergency”. I wondered if you could outline what actions overall the Mayor has taken in London since then?

• Question by: Onkar Sahota
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Dr Onkar Sahota AM (Deputy Chair in the Chair): Thank you. I am now going to ask a question in my own right. It is to Hannah. Failure to access to healthcare is not only detrimental for the individual but it also has public health challenges for Londoners. We have heard access to healthcare come up a number of times in the proceedings this morning. Has the GLA been doing any work on helping refugees and asylum seekers access the NHS system? If yes, what has that work been?

• Question by: Marina Ahmad
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, panel. Enver, you spoke earlier about ESOL provision. As you know, ESOL provision was cut through Government austerity by almost 60% before the devolution of the AEB. What impact has this had and should the Government dedicate additional funding to the AEB to rectify the shortfall?

• Question by: Emma Best
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Emma Best AM: I think so. Thanks, Chair. Yes, I was just trying to work out Deputy Mayor [Tom] Copley’s political neutrality, which seemed a lot stronger when he was talking to Assembly Member [Tony] Devenish than Assembly Member [Unmesh] Desai.

• Question by: Unmesh Desai
• Meeting date: 07 September 2023

Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning to the panel. My main question is to Tunde [Olayinka] and Hannah [Boylan] and it is about modern slavery. Modern slavery was described by the Archbishop of Westminster, I think in 2016 or 2017, as “the dark underbelly of London’s society”. That still remains the case, although there is a growing and welcome recognition of the issue. In the context of modern slavery, how is it impacting today on refugee communities and what is the LSMP doing to address it? If you want to start off, Tunde [Olayinka], and then if I...