• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

When you say cost effective, how many jobs have actually been created and how many are you expecting to be created? Can you actually specify them? How many companies have actually done business as a direct result, or are doing business? It is very easy to talk about media value, but media value is often just coverage. What is that? I have asked a few times for an outline of what that is. Is it just a picture on TV of the Mayor arriving in Beijing and that is the equivalent of £10,000 worth of media coverage? Is it media...

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

Finally, Chair, if you would indulge me, could you just provide us at some point with a list of the companies and jobs which have actually come as a result of our offices in China?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

That is the problem is it not, John?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

But if we cannot look into the details, nothing is true.

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

That was discussed. I am glad to hear that. The other thing, you mentioned a Times article yesterday which I came across as well. Oddly enough, the three cities they mentioned - Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong - were three cities I have seen on my own travels in recent times. We have colonial links with them. Is it not better to have partnership agreements with cities like that, the new emerging cities, rather than friendship agreements with the Dakars and the Delhis of the world?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

This is a question directed at John Ross. You have mentioned BRIC quite a lot; Russia, India and China. What happened to Brazil? I am trying to work out in your international relation strategy for the GLA and the Mayor's Office whether approaches have been made to the Brazilians, given that they are a major exporter of bio fuels and ethanol. They are clearly a big player in some of the things that we want to do. I am not sure for what reasons they were dropped off the four countries that make up BRIC.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

So he was not in New York, and he has not met Mayor Bloomberg?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

I can give you two or three reasons why. For example, the old colonial links do mean the Stock Exchanges between London and Hong Kong are quite well established. Dubai; the gold markets are critical there. You would be surprised how much the Asian community uses them out there when they are travelling through. Singapore clearly is the hub of East Asia.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

OK. I assume somebody - the structure may not matter - is responsible for briefing the Mayor in advance of his going on the foreign trips?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

I am glad for the confirmation that it was said. But what I want to ask is this; have you got an international relations section, or advisors in the Mayor's Office?