• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

Thank you. Just following on from that, I understand you have done your security budget, but there is another thing which is security checks of individuals. When you have 70,000 volunteers, you will have to get security checks on every one of them. Who is going to do that with the police? The police charge for it. It takes time. So, what are your arrangements for that?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

My interest is less how you control the cost - I trust you to do that - more the sense of the risk analysis. Is finance, making sure the budget does end in balance, as it were, the biggest issue or are there specific other management issues?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

I am trying to get some sense of the light and the dark, whether it is finance, whether it is security.

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

Is this your biggest worry, the budget? What keeps you awake at night, other than young children, if you have got them?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

In reality there are two models in the procurement process. There is the one that TfL have used in the East London Line which is, I suspect, the best one we can do within British legislation and then the model often cited of the Atlanta Olympics which I think was more problematic. I just wanted to know the extent to which you have worked with TfL to appreciate how they have made those adjustments in their procurement process to take on board BME businesses.

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

One of the concerns is that if people are volunteering, then they should not be out of pocket and I think the bid documents put the case that you are looking at; if people come from outside the area, people will be opening their homes up, and they can stay free of charge. Obviously if there are a large proportion from outside London, that makes it a bit more difficult but I am wondering when do you start that programme of advertising for people to become part of it by offering free accommodation

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

How will you be picking those areas that will be the pilots for the pre-volunteer programme?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

Can I also ask about equality in the volunteering programme as well, because if you look at Manchester, I believe they had a great successful volunteering programme and they paid particular attention to long-term unemployed young people, members of minority groups and those with special needs and disabilities, and I am just wondering, following the things that Dee highlighted earlier, will you ensure that there is equality of opportunity at every stage of the process? Will you be monitoring that as well?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

I also want to ask about the pre-volunteer programme because that is about to start next year I believe. I understand that the initial pilot will be in the five Olympic boroughs and that there will be other areas that will be on that pre-volunteer programme - representatives in Haringey and particularly areas like Tottenham and Edmonton, where there is a great diversity and great deprivation and some of highest worklessness in London. I am just wondering how, as a representative, I can get those local people involved and how we will go about engaging our local community in a...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 10 October 2006

You said there were about 70,000 volunteers needed. Do you have any idea at the moment about how many of them have come from London and how many from outside the area?