• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

You have made the point a few times that the Government is picking up this tab but, surely, is there not a case that the IOC should pick this up, For the simple reason we have always had a terrorist threat with Olympics? We had the events of Munich 1972. If the cities do not make money, the IOC certainly will do through the TV deals, and I dare say the biggest TV deal will probably be the Olympics straight after the Chinese Olympics in Beijing, given there will be a 30% increase in the TV audiences. LOCOG (London Organising...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

Thank you, Chair. I apologise for being late but, topically, I was chairing a meeting looking at the development opportunities for land in the Thames Gateway. That leads directly into my question which is that I assume the thrust of debate has been, quite rightly, that Members want to ensure that Londoners get the best possible deal out of the Olympics and pay as little as possible of the additional costs. Would you agree with me that there is an equal risk, which is that if we are not carefully managing the budget for the Olympics, we may take so...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

Just for the record, would you finally at last agree with us, Mr Livingstone, that the original bid document and the costings in it were in fact completely worthless?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

You say this as though the Government is getting some people some money. The Government is using tax payers' money in order to fund this. That is the difference.

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

The Government says that though.

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

So we will see an improvement in those targets that you expressed disappointment at a month ago?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

Absolutely!

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

Can I just make another little prediction as well, as we were right on the £10 billion. You and others have quoted figures about jobs; 40,000, 50,000, 60,000. From everything else, including things like the IPPR (Institute of Public Policy Research) report and so on about Sydney and other aspects, practically everybody seems to be saying the Olympics do not provide long term jobs. I have to say to you I cannot see anywhere where anybody has truly quantified that there will be many long-term serious jobs as a result of the London Olympics. Can you just quantify exactly what...

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

If it is going to make a profit, as you say, can Council Tax-payers have their money back in 2013?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 21 March 2007

You talk about these contingencies being set because of the experience of the Treasury over the last 80 years and feeling that that is a bit strong. The problem is it has been the experience of every other Olympic Games. When we first predicted, just over two years ago, that the budget, as it would finally be, would be around £10 billion, everybody said that was a ridiculous figure for us to state. The problem is, if you look at Athens, at Sydney and the rest, surely that is a reasonable contingency for the Government to put in?