• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

I am not opposing the development; we need those job opportunities there, but there are at least 16 more appropriate sites where this could take place. Finally, did you receive the gift of a pair of Wellingtons that I sent to you?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

It still gives power to the Government to privatise TfL's street management. You appear to be acquiescing in this case. Is there any truth in the stories that you are acquiescing in this in return for getting greater powers to create more red routes across London and takes those roads away from the boroughs?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

Are you are aware of the Traffic Management Bill, which is currently going through the Lords? Are you aware that the Bill, as it is presently drafted, gives Whitehall powers to put a traffic director in place who can completely overrule what you tell TfL? Are you aware of that? Are you acquiescing in that? How is that evidence of a Government that wants to devolve more power to the GLA?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

You are very upbeat about this, but Ministers have consistently said that they are not going to review the GLA Act. You are making the best of a bad job. The reality is that the majority of people in London government believe that the GLA should have greater powers. You tell us that there are even some in government who believe that, but the reality is that they have done nothing about it and they refuse to do anything about it. Our Chair, in her role as Baroness Hamwee, had a tremendous job trying to persuade the Government to make...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

I think most people agree that the GLA, not necessarily the Mayor, should have more powers, and I do not doubt that you have been saying that for the last four years. The purpose of this question is to say that it is has been falling on deaf ears. You have been remarkably unsuccessful in actually persuading the Government to do anything. Given how desperate the Labour Government was to get you back into the Labour Party, why did you not make that a condition for your re-entry and actually do something?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

I think the exchange that occurred before we went on to talk about the railways demonstrates that your relationship with the boroughs has not been as good as it could have been over the last four years. Do you still stand by your view that we should reduce the number of London boroughs to five, or have Members of the Assembly managed to convince you otherwise?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

The point I was making illustrates that political talk is very cheap. There is a severe danger that people will grandstand and say whatever they want to in an assembly which does not have actual power. The question is what politicians actually do with the power when they are given it. I do think we have a serious case of `chameleon politics' going on here, where you change colour according to whichever institution you are in. There will always be arguments between layers of Government and organisations about issues and interests. Let us get back to what Londoners want. I...

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

I wonder if I could make a statement of personal explanation. The briefing primarily came from Camden. There was support from the boroughs of all three political administrations. As you say, it was a postponement and not the undermining of planning powers, as you characterised it.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

Do you not have a problem with what I think is hypocrisy from the Liberal Democrats, who are saying here that they are friends of London and support the GLA, whereas as I understand it, in the House of Lords our Liberal Democrat colleagues moved an amendment under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill to weaken the legal authority of your London Plan? In other words to undermine your planning powers. What do you think about that in relation to this presentation we have just had about Liberal Democrat views?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 28 April 2004

Yes, but what is going to happen? You have been telling us throughout this question how much you have said, and how much you have drawn the Prime Minister's attention to this and that, but we still get legislation put upon us because the Prime Minister's wife gets stuck in a traffic jam. This is not very good evidence that your persuasive powers are working at all on the party that you have just rejoined.