• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

Our pensioners, Mr Newton, I am sure will take great heart I have to say from what I regard as a very responsible stand and your defence of their interests so I do congratulate you for that. One thing occurred to me. Obviously some people round here have talked about ethical investment and ethical being from their own stance. I totally accept and respect their position. Is there a possibility - and I certainly would not want such a thing; I do not want my pension being played as part of politics, even with things that I believe in personally...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

It does leave the question hanging in the air; what on earth is the point of having any sort of strategy or corporate social responsibility and ethical policy if you are not going to implement it by choosing between companies? Let me go back to your answer about the arms trade and tobacco. You say at the moment you are not big investors in them. It is my question you are probably answering later. In that case, why not take a principled stance and stop investing. There must be thousands upon thousands of people who are pension holders who would...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

How is it reflected then in your own policies on your investments? How is that corporate social responsibility reflected in your own investment?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

But can you tell me the share? And can I just follow you on and say, if you are thinking long term, are you not aware that tobacco companies, themselves, are disinvesting in the poisonous weed, and are going into different stocks and different products? So, can you not say that on this issue, you, as the Chair of this body, will be working with your officers to be shifting whatever that investment that is currently within the portfolio somewhere else?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

How long will that stock remain with your fund?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

Can I just say that for me the meeting started well but from that last response I am really quite disappointed. Can we go back to the answers to Mike's [Tuffrey] question? If we are talking about openness, then why do we not see something like that in this document? Where would you see this approach that you have outlined in this document? Basically, from what you have said, you have a very narrow definition of a pension fund that seeks to be socially responsible. Let me just say to you, you used the phrase, `It would be lunatic to...

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

Were these rather bizarre people that want to limit your scope for investment to get their way, what would be the financial effect on the pension funds of a blanket ban, say, on any companies that were involved in any form of defence or arms trade, or tobacco for that matter?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

Can I then ask what is the current investment in, specifically, tobacco? I ask this because I raised this question in September 2005 with the Mayor, and his answer then was that he was of the opinion that LPFA was looking towards developing an ethical investment policy that would take account of this type of issue. Can I just add, you talked about employment and you said it was fine, if you like, to be investing in BAE (British Aerospace) because it gave us great employment. Is it fine to stay investing in tobacco companies that kill hundreds of thousands...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

Which mirrors much of the behaviour of the hedge funds we have got in London, because I mean London has become a centre of all that. I am just concerned whether, to the extent of our exposure, both directly and indirectly, and to what extent that limits our ability to be ethical as well.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 17 January 2007

I think that would be very helpful, and I think certainly we would like it. I suspect the pensioners and prospective pensioners, would also like it, because then they can at least get into a dialogue with you. The fourth thing that the Fair Pensions organisation asks for is to incorporate your approach to responsible investment into your investment mandates and into your fund manager selection and monitoring. Do I take it from what you said that you do do that?