• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

I now want to turn to the overground and what ways you are going to do something about what is now becoming a really big issue, which is kids are playing on the tracks. I can highlight cases in my own constituency but they are echoed around London. They have been playing on the tracks at White Hart Lane station and Edmonton Green and they thrown stones and they risk lives. A train at Enfield Town station was held up for 20 minutes by a whole group of kids as well. There is a real issue now about what is...

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

But as a representative of Londoners, you have not answered my question. Do you impress upon the Commissioner when you meet with him that you are dissatisfied with the clear?up rate?

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Mr Mayor, despite the statistics you quoted earlier, London now has the lowest clear-up rate in England and Wales at 14% and falling. Scotland, in fact, has a clear-up rate of 42%, which is much higher, and this is all despite the increase in police numbers, which I must emphasise we have always supported in each of your budgets. It was other issues in your budget that we took issue with. Now, are you satisfied with these detection rates and if you are not, are you bringing any kind of pressure on the force, on the Commissioner, who I have...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Six might be rather thin on the ground, I think, with all that.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

That is excellent. So you actually agree with the Green Party manifesto, which talks more about restitution and less about retribution.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Apparently there are over 300 new crimes created by the Labour Government since it came into power. That is all very well but it actually passes the whole problem on to the police, on to the judicial system and then into prisons, where we have got the highest prison population ever. You gave a quick nod in your first answer on crime to the idea of actually preventing it in the first place. I would like to see more about things like youth clubs, after?school activities, perhaps encouraging more youth leaders with a view to actually preventing crime in the...

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

You do not want to talk about Crossrail?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Can you please justify to us that statement that there is a commitment to proceed with Crossrail when, if you actually read the Minister's statement, he said "If the project were to go ahead, there would need to be" Later on, he talks about "In order to give the project the best chance of success, I am assembling an expert team" as though this was some sort of Richard Branson around the world balloon race rather than the most significant transport infrastructure that this capital needs. He concludes his statement by saying "When the Department has carried out a review...

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

I was thinking more of actual commercial development around or above or within the station building to help cross fund and therefore make sure that it happens rather than waiting for public sector funds.

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Can I just come back to the question of financing? If we are talking about primary legislation as a possibility for tax increment financing, are bonds still on your menu as something to try to push the Treasury to thinking about?