• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

In particular could you address the issue of VAT, Mr Higgins?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

You have said the project is on track. You have also said the costs are rising substantially. Those two statements do not seem to sit very happily together to me. How can you be on track if the costs are rising substantially? The point I would like to make to you is that Londoners are contributing £625 million to this project and we have been assured by the Mayor that that money will go into infrastructure which will be a positive thing that Londoners can see their money has paid for. Do you support the fact that Londoners should not...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Does that include, specifically, investment in Prescott Lock or Prescott Channel?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

The Mayor of London has expressed the argument in this way; that you could effectively deliver a no frills Olympic Games within the £2.375 billion envelope that was originally posited, but that in order to enhance the regeneration benefit additional sums of money are available. Now obviously he is a politician so perhaps he would put it that way. You are project people. Would you fundamentally agree with that analysis or do you think there are areas where even to deliver a no frills Olympics the pressures on the £2.375 billion are such that it would be difficult to provide...

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

My question is to David. You mentioned the extra money for regeneration. Does that include investment in the local environmental legacy in the lower Lea Valley, in the canals and rivers?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I would like to go back to the environmental and social issues. I would like to float an idea past you and see your reaction. It is worth spending more money and going over budget to include all these environmental ,sustainability and social issues than it is to come in on budget and reject all of these things as being something we cannot achieve. Remember we are talking about 2012 here. People will have very different expectations of what sustainability is by then.

• Question by: Trevor Phillips
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

So Richard Caborn was wrong when he said you are negotiating with West Ham?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

You told us in your initial response that the IOC was quite clear what the future use of this stadium was going to be. How can it possibly be that you even entered into any discussions at all with West Ham if the future of the stadium is going to be as an athletics stadium?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

In summary, is football in or football out?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

When did those negotiations terminate?