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

You do not have the power to direct, but you do have the power to appoint the board and you are actively now seeking to intervene in the nominations the London councils have made to this board, so you are very interested in some aspects of board member's activities and not others. The Vice-Chair is your good mate Mike Ward, and yet the LPFA is not only investing in two tobacco companies as we speak, but it is also investing money in small scale arms companies. Would our staff ' or many of our staff ' not be amazed that...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

Can I just add to the statistics that you have got there, that I was at a conference two days ago, and what we learnt there, from the latest figures, was that tobacco companies need over 700 people a day ' this is young people, under 20 ' to start smoking, and that is why this is such a critical issue.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

No, I was adding it to the statistics that he has used, so that he can use that in future.

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

I think the difficulty in public policy here is that public policy should be about taking other measures to discourage the tobacco trade, rather than penalising ' as would be the case in these circumstances ' both the pensioners and council tax payers of Croydon, who, as a result of this decision a while ago, have seen a underperformance of these investments of a massive £20 million. Now, should the pensioners who work for Croydon Council and the council tax payers who stand behind them be the ones who are paying that £20 million price?

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

The board sets the policy on it, okay, that is fine. Thank you.

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

The Labour Council did not vote against it, I understand.

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

My next question is: how long do you think it will be before your discussions with the authority will yield fruit and they can bring into place an appropriate policy in this area?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

How many of these passes have you now withdrawn for anti-social behaviour?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 13 September 2006

Yes, but the problem is you are not a driver. If the driver does see someone with their feet on the seat or smoking or drinking, they are not going to have a code red are they, so the comparison you are giving us is actually quite false.

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

Can I just read you something, and I have been specifically asked to raise with you, by the Safer Neighbourhood Sergeant in Chiselhurst? I hope you might treat him as a professional and not sneer at his comments for these purposes. He says this, and it coincides with my recollection: 'We have a problem with youth disorder, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Groups of youths travel from all over the borough, and from other boroughs, to meet up with friends and also to play out the rivalries that unfortunately exist between factions. Another root cause of the problem is...