• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

There have been a number of suggestions from Members during this discussion to strengthen community relations within the Muslim community. Particularly, people have pointed up the need in terms of children and young people, and you have mentioned unemployed young Muslims. I am thinking on my feet here, but I believe that until the 2000 census, faith was not a category within it. If that is correct, then we would not have been able to track the size and diversity ' 67 different nations, something that you have just been talking about, Richard (Barnes) ' in terms of the diversity...

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

Mr Mayor, I was coming in after Len Duvall's question about with whom you were going to communicate, and John Biggs has actually just communicated to you what, in fact, I was going to say. I had the fortunate occasion on Saturday of being with the Wimbledon branch of the British Muslims' Association. I am invited regularly to their seminars, and this was one that had been organised two months previously. I have to say that I met with these good people who were absolutely astonished, astounded, and very grieving over what had happened. What they were saying was they...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

I wondered if I can briefly return you to the subject of your relief fund. You say that we need to wait and see who are the trustees that you are going to appoint. Have you yet any idea of the sort of remit that you want this fund to have, and what its priorities will be? For instance, in your mind is it going to try to, in some way, compensate for the tragic loss of life for those families who were left grieving; is it, perhaps, to compensate for injuries; or is it, indeed, to try to compensate...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

Just one last question: would decisions on how that compensation was prioritised take into account, for instance, that some of the people might have been insured and, therefore, might be going to receive more money than others who will not have been? Is that the sort of priority that you will also need to look at?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

What about things that could be perceived as provocative - things like having the arms fair here in London, things like our policy in the Middle East? You do have views on this. Are you going to urge the Government to restrain these things?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

One thing that impressed me, certainly in my own borough of Enfield, is that within a few days of the bombings on the Thursday, the Borough Commander (Chief Superintendent Simon O'Brien) had set up a number of meetings to get the message as to what was happening out there to residents' associations, councillors, and faith leaders and also to stress the point that if there were any reprisals against any section of the community that they would be dealt with very strongly. I certainly know from my local mosque that they were very reassured that the day following the bombings...

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. We all share, among the various sentiments you have expressed, our thanks to the emergency services and to TfL. As I said to TfL, while with the emergency services we have come to expect and take for granted the high standard at which they operate, with TfL we had not been so used to such a speedy response. Five years ago, this might have been different. We have all been very aware of the public reaction. Just to mention one point: at the books of condolence here in City Hall, when I have stood...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

Clearly, the emergency response was fantastic, and the public helping, and organisations like the Salvation Army coming in and doing what they could - it was incredible. Moving on, you were just talking about new legislation and what you thought was sensible and not. I am extremely concerned that the legislation that comes in after this event could be extremely bad legislation, just because it is based on a difficult situation. I am also concerned that civil liberties will be eroded. Are you going to the Government, and are you saying that it is important that we still live in...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

I would just make the point in closing, you would have to accept that it would also look slightly strange if the London Assembly had not wanted to recognise the fact we had just won the bid by going straight to work on it at the very first Plenary session we had. That is another way of looking at it.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

You might be able to make the point that, as far as you are concerned, the review should be that Londoners do not take any more of the bill. Surely, that is something that could come out in the review.