• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

What about for London alone? If you say the EU is of benefit to London, then quantify it? You cannot just say it is of great benefit. Quantify it.

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

I am very glad to hear that, but when she talked about savings coming in the second half of the year - let us use the word cuts - these cuts are unprecedented in the life of the NHS. I am sure you cannot disagree with this; the Secretary of State has brought in at a stroke - you just mentioned it in your reply - change financial accounting, the resource allocation budgeting causing top slicing of Peter to pay Paul. I listened this morning to two Labour MPs who said: `Oh yes, we have to balance the books, but...

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

I agree with you. What about the Labour placed people on boards who could not run a whelk stall? What about getting rid of some of them? They have allowed these Trusts to get in to deficit.

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

You will be aware that last month Brent Primary Care Trust (PCT) passed reductions in the current year of £11 million and £31 million for next year. Harrow PCT has done very similar type reductions. Hillingdon is a basket case. The belief is now that there are at least 11 other PCTs in London that are just about on the cusp to make drastic reductions. This is a crisis facing London and we need your help, and your high profile help, to stop it happening. Yesterday London Councils unanimously passed a motion condemning these reductions and assembling all the details...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

do not think there is a crisis. There are some PCTs that are in problems and I agree with you it is a question of management. I wanted to ask on a wider issue. Elizabeth [Howlett] asked about your high profile position and what you can do with that. I know the new Strategic Health Authority is developing a health strategy for London. In the North and North West we are looking at three of our hospitals being reconfigured at the moment. It is my view that they should be taken off the table until we have this strategy for...

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

I was the Chair of a hospital board . You can.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

Mr Mayor, hypothetically, if you are not re-elected and another Mayor is elected in your place, he could change that whole scenario could he not?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

We are not giving you any extra money for the Olympics! We will vote your budget down if you put the Olympics up.

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

Why was nothing done about the VAT issue as long ago as last March, or even in February?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 13 December 2006

How much time and effort, extended process, was there in putting together the budget in the first place?