• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

With the cost of oil obviously increasing across the world and your quite firm recommendation to the people of Venezuela to support President Chavez's reforms in the referendum, what are the implications for the fact that that referendum went the wrong way, from your perspective, and for President Chavez, in terms of the implications of oil prices for Londoners and the consultancy studies?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

You will not be relying on President Chavez's oil for London buses for too long then?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

If I can just draw us back to the issue, which I think most people will be concerned about; having looked at this deal in some detail, there are potentially implications from the rise in oil prices, on this deal, both in terms of what benefits London may gain, but also what consultancy is going the other way. Therefore can I come back to you on the issue of what are the implications of this on this arrangement that you have made.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

Is it not also true that what may be a better deal for London is a worse deal for Venezuela? The more you are creaming off more of their potential profits, the worse it is for the people who are not benefiting from it back in Venezuela?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

Do you not feel that one of the reasons why the vote went the way it did is that people have just woken up to what is going on in their name and that squalid deals with people like you ' you should know better than to have been helping yourself to the assets of poor countries like Venezuela ' is precisely what is turning them gradually against Chavez?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

You are telling us that the rise in oil prices is very good news for this deal?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

I share your enthusiasm for a lot of the anti-poverty initiatives in Venezuela. I think there has been a fantastic success there in social improvement and tackling poverty, but given that at the moment it is all funded through oil revenues, that is not sustainable in the long term, is it? Are you giving any advice to President Chavez about moving to a post-carbon economy?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

All I am asking now is for you to look at possible modifications to improve the public transport element and reduce the private car element.

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

You seem to be prevaricating; will you have a serious look, as part of this study, at reducing the number of lanes, the number of private vehicles on the bridge in favour of enhancing the public transport aspect?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 12 December 2007

Given the TfL Board's decision to look at enhancing the public transport aspects of the bridge, how wide will that study of the possibilities be? Will you be looking at tram routes along the bridge, at reducing or eliminating the road capacity element altogether and having it as a public transport only bridge or including a link to DLR? How wide will it be?