• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

Unfortunately, Mr Mayor, this scheme has reared its head again recently in revised form. Do you share the concerns of local residents about the traffic that such a use would generate in an area which is residential and completely unsuited for all those extra vehicles on the streets, and indeed about the extra traffic there would be on that branch of the Central Line, which is not particularly good?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

A lot of these measures require personal support from individuals to achieve them. Have you reconsidered the decision made by TfL last year not to use recycled asphalt with glass in it for some of the TfL road projects?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

Obviously, there is a planning role for you on the major referrals you get. However, the Budget Committee was told in terms of looking at planning applications for their energy content that `it has not been possible to respond to all referrals because of a lack of staff resources." That was as at July. So you have not even been bothered to check planning referrals in terms of energy. I agree with you 100%, you have bust a gut on affordable housing in terms of using your planning powers to the full and I commend you for that, but when...

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

So are your officers checking planning applications now for their energy content?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

But you had some tough negotiations with developers over affordable housing targets and you were right to do that. Why could you not have had some tough negotiations with them over energy targets?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

This is a question about empty homes, which is one of the targets. The total has indeed come down, and that is very, very welcome, from 114,000 empty homes in London in 1999 to just under 100,000. Most of that reduction has been in the public sector. In the private sector, which is 83% of the total, some 80,000 remain stubborn and have not moved during your period of Mayoralty. Given that you have few, if any direct, powers in that regard is this not an area where you need to show leadership? Therefore, have you not actually failed to...

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

On the issue of home insulation, you said that you would take a personal lead on ensuring the delivery of an effective programme of home insulation in your manifesto. How many homes have been insulated as a result of your personal lead?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

I am always happy to talk to my Green Party colleague Victor Anderson, but if I put questions to the Mayor then I would prefer to put them to you directly. On the traffic target, you did not take the traffic target that you signed up to with Friends of the Earth on board, so why are you condemning outer London to traffic growth?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

Undoubtedly there is a case for selective use of compulsory powers, particularly with stubbornly unoccupied private ones. I was looking for you to show some leadership now and not wait until the legislation changes because it would require changes in legislation. For example, in the London Plan the target is to bring 25,000 empty homes back into use by 2016. That is 2,000 a year, roughly half the current rate the boroughs have been working on. Is that target not lacking in ambition?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 22 October 2003

No, I am certainly happy. I also just wanted to add the wonderful news that we only received yesterday, about a further £20 million for recycling in London over two years, and for the fantastic work that has been done in terms of making sure that London is now considered as a region for recycling. As far as I know, that work was done by myself and John Duffy and your team. I do not remember seeing a Green Party member in that sort of cohort. Are you having more discussions with DEFRA about how we could be spending that...