• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

My question is about jobs and the benefits of jobs, especially in London. I understand that London has actually been divided into three categories: there is the Olympic boroughs themselves, then the Thames Gateway, and after that there is the rest of London. I understand that they are going to be treated in terms of jobs and employment in that order. I am representing Tottenham, which has double the level of unemployment London average and is next door to the Olympic boroughs. This is a 15 minute train ride and a similar bus ride away. The people of Tottenham, I...

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

Can I ask if you have talked to Atlanta? I understand Atlanta was particularly good at setting targets for black and minority ethnic (BME) businesses and for people with disabilities and for women. What sort of discussions have you had with Atlanta, and have you picked up on any of the good practices that they have instituted?

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

Good. When the two reports come out in the next few days that you mentioned, will they include things like what targets are going to be put in place, and how these targets are going to be monitored, and will you commit to publishing how you are getting on with the targets? Will you publish what the targets are and what you are achieving on a regular basis?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

What would you say, then, to a student from Malmesbury, or their parents, who say `Well we have seen this before, and the whole area fills up with expensive housing which we could not even dream of buying? On balance, a lot of the jobs we used to rely on disappeared from the area and we seem to be down on the deal'. How are you going to play your part in making sure that is not the case?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

The good students of Malmesbury School might be interested to know that out of all this chaos we have a bunch of Assembly Members quizzing the man who is responsible for delivering the Olympic Games in London. By the time they are voters, the Olympics will be finished. The area of the Olympics will be regenerated, and there will be many jobs there. Mr Higgins has already said that he wants to put other people on the spot to make sure it is not just the Olympics delivering all of these benefits, but it is the whole regeneration of the...

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Thank you Mr Higgins. You mentioned that you would have to work within the EU Procurement Directive, and you said that it kicks in at a nominal value. That nominal value is £100,000, and it applies to any public contract over £100,000. I would put it to you that that EU directive will not really allow you to emulate the Atlanta experience...... How do you intend to ensure local employment if you have to obey the EU procurement rules? I suppose the second part of the question is, are there any local firms big enough to compete under those rules?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Thank you. Would you regard the transport plans as being ambitious? In the scheme of the whole project, I am trying to gauge if you feel that transport is more perhaps at risk than other aspects.

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

I think that brings us to the end of our hour and a half. Mr Higgins, the Assembly is deeply obliged to you for the time you have given this morning. Thank you very much.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

Would you agree then that the risk is that in the worst case one would have to do that with unknown costs associated? Assuming we can get the current owners to rearrange the station, part of the problem is it is a large Victorian structure which needs to have new subways and walkways and connections and escalators and so onput into it. Would you agree that the big risk at present is that the initial estimates for that cost were way below what the current numbers suggested might be costing?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 14 June 2006

I do not share Mr Pope's anxiety yet about the East London Line and North London Line, but I do have an anxiety about Stratford domestic station. I note from your eyebrows that you might have such an anxiety as well. To what extent do the Olympics require its reconstruction, and would you agree that there is, at present, a fairly substantial risk in that we do not understand the full costs of reconstructing the station?