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

This year Thames Water has topped the league of the worst polluters in England and Wales, and was fined £128,000 earlier this year. I was going to ask about the Olympics, but I think you have dealt with that. This summer Thames Water have announced they are going to cut approximately a third of their staff, obviously before the sell-off that is going to take place. I was just wondering if you believe that that is going to have any impact on the building of the interceptor or the ability of Thames Water to deliver their leakage targets?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

Therefore, provided they make the decision on the new timetable along those lines, you are saying that the Olympic Park area can still be sewage free?

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

Can I have your specific assurance that there will be no reduction in the stopper trains on the Metropolitan Line service that go along the lines out to the underlying suburbs?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

Thank you, Mayor, for that response. There is clearly scope for some improvements here, but it certainly builds on the improvements that you have launched on the overground for other residents of Brent and Harrow, along the Bakerloo Line beyond Queen's Park. This particular line is probably known to have more spacious carriages, more headroom; there is even storage for luggage and certainly back and head supports. Therefore, I dare say people are accustomed to a better standard there than in other parts of the Tube system. I just think it is quite clear that residents expect that to continue...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

One of the concerns that people have is that they frequently see Metropolitan lines whizzing through to parts that are well outside the GLA boundary on the fast trains, and yet the stopper trains are dramatically reduced in frequency, particularly during the rush hour.

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

One of the concerns that has been expressed, particularly about the Metropolitan line, is that various proposals have been voiced at different times to suggest actually reducing the service to the stopping stations, and increasing the service to, if you like, the mainline bits of the service ' Harrow on the Hill, Wembley Park, etc. Can you give us an assurance that commuters will not see that reduction take place?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

I think it is not just the efficiency that has been improved, but they have actually reduced their risk to probity now, but anyway, thank you. I will go back to TfL with some of the detail. Thank you.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

Okay, thank you. I know perhaps you do not have too much detail there, but there were also some debts that needed to be chasing up from contractors, basically, mopping up some other problems of the past; do you have any information on what is going on there?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

I do not disagree with anything that you have just said, or the point that Val Shawcross has raised, but I wonder also if you would look at the other aspect of this, which is the efficiency and transparency of TfL Street Management as against the members of the public, and residence and users of the road where works are being carried out. I certainly had two instances recently, within the last year ' one in West Wickham, and one very recently in Bexley ' where specific assurances given by the contractors to residents and the borough council as to...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

This follows on from the conversation we had earlier in the year, when we discussed the need for more transparency in the audit arrangements of TfL, and I am pleased that TfL have definitely taken that on board. I think they have been open with me about the problems they have had in street management, and as you say, the program that they have for improvement. However, I think there are some outstanding issues from all of that reorganisation that has to take place; for example Peter Hendry (Transport Commissioner,TfL) told me that there were nine contracts that there were...