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

When do you think that figure will be available to be released to us?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Just one final query. I think what we feel is that part of the problem with the original bid document is that so much of it seems to be providing firm assurances on a set of figures and of course what we are learning now is that those figures were not nearly as firm as they might have been presented at the time. Clearly there will be concern about the fact that all these new factors are being built in.

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

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

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

Dee Doocey (AM): I understand all that. Is it the case at this moment that you think additional funding is required, or are you content, at this moment, because the detailed work has not been done, that the situation is containable within the original budget?

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

I understand the point you made about the budget, and how it is a living, breathing, ongoing thing, however you must be working to some figure at the moment? Is that as it was in the Bid Book ' that was the three ' as you have now redefined it, so £3 billion - or has that increased as a result of the KPMG re-costings?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Thank you. Mr Higgins, I am actually interested in the finances from a different angle, from the LOCOG angle. I assume the project management side is something you will be on top of as professionals. I just think, actually, on the income side there may have been one or two opportunities you may have missed. I mean the TV revenue side, for example, whilst it goes through LOCOG it sounds as though it is going to be a set amount rather than a set percentage. It sounds as though the next Olympics straight after the Beijing one is actually a...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Angie Bray (AM): You can appreciate, of course, that Londoners might well be interested in having some kind of comfort on this. Clearly people can come along and say `Yes, actually, if we spend a bit more now we can get a better a legacy'. There has to come a point when you say we cannot go on concerning ourselves about legacy if it is actually going to mean that the costs continue to rise. I wondered if there was any kind of comfort there that you could offer Londoners at this stage?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Thank you. Clearly this is an ongoing situation and we have not reached that point yet where we can have an absolutely clear figure; I appreciate that. Obviously we are hoping that you will keep us up to date as you continue. Just a final question; I think we understood from comments made by Richard Caborn MP {Minister of State (Sport))about the LOCOG budget that that had to be raised because of inflationary costs. I wonder whether that is going to be a significant factor in your `guesstimates' 'inflation, which who knows what it might be going up to '...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Thank you for that. It is a bit confusing, I think, certainly because there are all sorts of budgets running around as well as your own and the outstanding costs to the LDA. The £2.375 billion figure which was cited as being the `guesstimate' for the infrastructure costs is probably not a firm figure and if anything ' and you obviously cannot commit yourselves to say what it will be ' you are saying it is not a firm figure and costs could go higher than that. Therefore Vincent Cable, who quoted you in that debate in Westminster Hall not...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Can I just take you back? I was in here when we were all happy on the day of the bid. Clearly, at the heart of this bid was the benefit for East London and we have been joined by the stars of the future from East London. (Brian Coleman (Chairman): I think you are referring to Malmesbury Primary School from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, who arrived just too late to see the earlier outburst which would have fitted very well, I suspect, with a primary school class.) My question relates to them, David. I am sure if...