• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

It is quite clear that the TOC's regard it as, for them, a low priority. I think it is safe to say most Londoners do not.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I think we are all agreed on this issue in this chamber. One of the answers that the TOC's always give on this is that when they do their customer surveys, their customers always rate their highest priorities as being better and more reliable train services, which in a way is not too surprising, given it is a TOC that is asking that question, and maybe the customers do not actually relate safety to a train operating company, as obviously they should. When you do your London opinion surveys, do you include or would you include specific questions about safety...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Yes, I agree. We are moving, hopefully, very slowly towards a London Rail Authority. Do you envisage, if and when that comes about, that we can bring in a London Transport Police Authority of some description and that we can then move to a stage where we are actually levying a precept on the train operating companies, rather than leaving them to determine what the priority and what funding they are prepared to put into it?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I think one of the problems with security at stations is the mixed responsibility of the train operators and Network Rail and, up until this next year, I think, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). One of the difficulties we have is that some of the visible structures are Network Rail responsibilities, and as John (Biggs) said, the train operators are starting to get better on things like security and cleaning up in their stations, such as railway bridges right in the middle of town centres or in high-profile locations. Do you think TfL could do some work talking to Network...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I welcome your reply. I have a couple of concerns that are bubbling to the surface, and that is a lot of the work that is going on is targeted at young people, and I recently had the experience ' and it is still going on ' about trying to get an ASBO actually to bring about better behaviour by a number of adults, and it is clear from the experience to date that ASBOs actually are not the tool to use for adults who, for whatever reasons, are causing a disturbance and making their neighbours' lives a misery. Would...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Yes. Can I just come back and say, it is the levers associated. The levers associated are quite powerful levers, and they work against young people.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I want tough penalties for adult men behaving badly, in the same way that we targeted young people.

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

How much waste is now actually being re-processed in London?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Even it is not going off to China, we still need to be re-processing far, far more waste actually in London and recycling it in London. Were you concerned that over the previous four years, progress was quite slow in terms of getting things up and running in London and getting these new plants? When can we start seeing more plants over and above the ones you have already mentioned?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

My key concern is about the mismatch ' I think everybody shares this ' between the improving safety standards we now have on the buses and the Underground and the appalling situation on the overground system. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) came to see me recently, and they are briefing against the Rail White Paper. In particular, they are briefing against the proposal that London should have more responsibility for franchising overground rail in London. They seem completely unaware of the inadequate customer services on the issue of safety that many train operators and stations are operating in...