• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Can I endorse the observations that have been made about Crossrail and the avian flu. Do you have anything else to report to us over developments in the last few weeks?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Would you agree that other governments across Europe have acted far more speedily and that you would have liked it as we all would have done if our own Labour Government had acted a little faster?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

The news about Crossrail is welcome, but there are some constituents of mine who are concerned about the proposal for a depot at Romford. They submitted a petition on this subject to you some time ago. Could you update us on the progress that has been made on responding to that?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Can I go on in reference to the Mayor's statement about his purchase of the Tamiflu tablets? Can I welcome you for your foresight, because in public health one tends to see government reacting after the event more often than before in a preventative way, so you are to be congratulated on that. I was not clear when you said you were working with the NHS. That would be NHS London, so would you be able to feedback and share with us? Certainly for those of us who have constituencies, though I am not excluding London-wide Members in any way...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Mr Biggs and I were at a meeting with the Minister responsible yesterday and he told us they are currently working on an assumption that Crossrail will cost between £12-14 billion to build. Do you agree with that assumption?

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

I would like to ask a question about the anti-viral drugs. Why do you feel it has been necessary for London to step in in this way? Is it because Government itself has failed, unlike other European governments, to make this purchase? Do you feel that it is not appropriate to only give such medicines to employees within the GLA family? Do you think it will also be appropriate to provide such medicines to residents? You have a lot of money within your budget to spend; surely you should be spending more than that?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

I welcome your action on this Tamiflu purchase. It is a great concern to many people, and our own party at Westminster has been urging the Government for some weeks to take the action you are taking at a more local level. It probably has not escaped your notice that the newspaper that has campaigned longest and loudest on this issue and first alerted us all to it shortly after the New Year was of course the Daily Mail. They have been also angrily asking why it is that the Labour Government has been so slow compared to other governments...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Answer the question.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Have you spoken to the Prime Minister (Tony Blair) over the past few weeks?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 February 2005

Can I just ask you to reflect upon that last comment, seriously? Do you regret the words that you used?