• 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.

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

Absolutely. If you could, just succinctly outline the benefits to outer London and the rest of the country.

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

Okay, but my question remains. It specifically says there is to be a review of this Paragraph 17, or perhaps the whole memorandum of understanding, this summer - the summer of 2005. I am asking you again: is that review, to your knowledge, going on? If not, when is it going to take place?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

That is good. Looking at the Athens Olympics, they had statements in their original bid document, but because of time pressures, budget pressures, and so on, a lot of those were jettisoned. How do you ensure that we do not jettison the long-term benefits from this?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

I absolutely agree, and we need central Government to step up to the plate. If I can just have one last question: in terms of the Thames Tideway Strategic Study Group, of which the GLA is a member, when your local Liberal Democrat MP, Sarah Teather, asked the Minister about this a couple of weeks ago, he said that there had been five meetings of that group, and the GLA representative did not attend any one of those five meetings. Are you seriously committed to getting this tunnel built?

• Question by: Dee Doocey
• Meeting date: 20 July 2005

Finally, how are you going to manage the finances of such a large project to ensure that the benefits are maximised and not squandered?