• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

So how do you know they are going to be recruiting staff in London rather than going, say, to Eastern Europe to be recruiting people?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

In fact, I think you mentioned that you are letting remediation contracts tomorrow, so there are already some very big, high level contracts going out, and this is in advance of the setting up of the business club. We heard, I think, from the Chamber of Commerce last October that from their research businesses do consider that there is a serious lack of information currently available. How have things moved on from there, and how are small and medium sized enterprises in London going to be benefiting from subcontracting, from the contracts that are going to be let in the...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Have you set targets to monitor against?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Thank you, and welcome David. We wish you well in a very difficult job. Of course, many of the Members around the room here represent boroughs outside of the immediate five around the site where there are, actually, very high levels of unemployment. We are interested in access to employment for Londoners and, in particular, unemployed Londoners. You mentioned that you were going to encourage contractors to recruit smaller contractors within London. Obviously I think many of the small and medium sized enterprises in London tend to be the ones that employ people who live in London. There will be...

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

So the budget you are working to is as per the Bid Book?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

One of the problems about any sort construction like this is the original surveys of the land to make sure the condition is such. Are you satisfied that the surveys that have been done are sufficiently robust to then defend the inflation and the costs expected?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

I understand all that, but is that the budget you are working to?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Given the experience within my constituency, in Brent and Harrow at Wembley Stadium, where the cost of rebuilding the stadium now is, at conservative estimates with a small `c', five times the original value that was expected, are you going to undertake a review of that particular project as part of the review of the bid documents?

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

I wonder if therefore it would be helpful if you could give the answer to the next question from Bob Blackman on construction costs before all those Members who have indicated they want to talk on finance. Can you just cover the issue of rise in inflation in relation to construction costs as you have raised it?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Therefore you are not working to a situation, for example, where you think you might at this stage go over budget? You are working to the assumption, at this stage, that it will be within the bid book, is that right?