• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Are you trying to move the goal posts on the 50% reduction then?

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

We share the view about the train operating companies, but they argue that their passengers' top priority and therefore their top priority is running the services. One of your top priorities is to reduce crime in London. Much of that crime, and it is growing, is happening on the over?ground rail. What are you going to do to impress your priority on the, maybe reluctant, train operating companies?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

So, you stick by the 50% reduction then?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

So, because the Government has not given you enough, you are having to put the fares up?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Your Government's Spending Review 2004 in the section 'Implementation Plans for Efficiency Gains' states this: 'It [the Government's Spending Review] aims to deliver £125 million of efficiencies as a result of TfL's own efficiency plans.' In other words, Government is seeking to count £125 million of TfL's efficiencies against Government's own efficiencies. I imagine that TfL intended to use those efficiencies for some service improvement. What service improvements are going to be cut as a result of the Government's decision to purloin that £125 million for itself?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

It was not as much as you asked for, and you said this to the Budget Committee on 12 June 2003: 'This funding gap is based on what we consider essential to continued expansion of the bus network improvements.' You have not got what you considered to be essential. What programmes are going to be cut to meet the funding gap?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Let us return to your emergency crisis budget meeting next Wednesday. You are saying it is for you and TfL to decide how to spend the lovely money. You could still look at it as a crisis if it is about actually listing what is going to be cut. Will we know at the end of that meeting what is in, what is out, what is hot, and what is not? Is that the point at which we are going to know what is going from the budget?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

Yesterday Mr Mayor, you told the Association of London Government (ALG) Leaders' Committee that next year they would have to pay an additional 8% in funding the Freedom Pass, and the following the year they would have to pay a further 8% to do that. Will that not be placing an additional burden on the boroughs to help fill TfL's black hole rather than actually helping users of the Freedom Pass?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

The boroughs' concern is not that the Freedom Pass will be lost. We in fact agree with you that that really was something positive that you actually introduced, but we think that the price should be the right price, the fair price, and it should only be used for that purpose. You will be able to use the additional income achieved from this to spend on other TfL projects. Will you ring?fence the income from the cost of the Freedom Pass, which the boroughs will have to collect, to ensure that it is only spent on that purpose and is...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 15 September 2004

I do not wish to use my colleague's time, but we will have a list of your priorities soon.