• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

What I wanted to be sure of from you is that you are satisfied that is a commitment to that route being included in the safeguarding process, which the Secretary of State also refers to later on in his statement.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

That was the concern because you will have observed that a lot of the press reports, although I accept not the Secretary of State's statement, were not specific about the route. As far as you are concerned, do you take this as the Secretary of State is signed up to the route down through to Ebsfleet?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

I think perhaps that you are right on that but perhaps that party is paying a pretty heavy political price for a lack of credibility on the Prime Minister's word at the moment. Can I raise one specific final point that affects my constituency in Bexley?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

It is reassuring that in the unlikely event that the Government would change hands, other members do seem to be committing themselves to supporting that despite their contributions. This would open possibly on your fifth term, or more likely in Nicky Gavron's fourth term, as Mayor. I have two final housekeeping questions. The first is that the Secretary of State's statement is clear that the alignment is through the Royal Docks and I thought that we should unambiguously and unequivocally clarify that. There was a case of going through Charlton but the Royal Docks would unlock more regeneration and I...

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

One of the big interchanges on the bit that we know is going to happen " I agree that it would be great to see it go round to Willesden Junction " will be at Dalston. There have been a lot of plans coming through in development terms there. Have you and your office had discussions with the private sector to look at commercially funded development around that station that could possible help fund a new station at Dalston? I think there is an opportunity there.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

I think one of the areas of disappointment " and I think Labour Assembly Members would share this with, hopefully, the whole of the rest of the Assembly " is that the timetable has slipped a little bit. However, I think that is important, as I understand it, in order to get the business case to stack up. Seriously speaking, to get the public finances to commit itself to £3 billion or £4 billion spending requires you to line up the case in the right time scale. That would be true regardless of who is in government. Is that your...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Second, are you happy that tactically this is the right thing for a credible government to do, whether it is a Liberal government " very unlikely, a Tory government " even less likely I suspect, or a Labour government? In committing itself and, at the same time, in seeking a private sector contribution, the maddest thing to do would be to give an unequivocal commitment. What it needs to do is see the colour of people's money. That is very straightforward as well I think.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

Given that I for one agree with you - and I think everybody here pretty much agrees on that - you must be concerned that in paragraph 10 of his statement, the Secretary of State used the phrase "So if the project were to go ahead" What are you doing to pursue the Secretary of State to ensure that he firms up and says, "It is not `if" but `when""?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

In an endeavour to assure you that our side are very positive about Crossrail, I hope you will appreciate one of the grounds for concern that stems from the statement. It is, in fact, the specific language used by the Secretary of State set against the past history of it. I know that you want to get Crossrail forward as much as we do but you told the Assembly at the meeting on 21 May that on 13 May, the Secretary of State made the statement to the Commons saying "The Government continues to support the development of Crossrail. We...

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

I am precisely trying to talk up this project and we always know the Mayor is on dodgy ground when he resorts to personal abuse.