• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

There were nine in mine.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

This goes to a very interesting point. If you take overcrowding per se, one of the things that London Underground do, to justify not calling it overcrowding, is to measure overcrowding from both ends of the line and from first train in the morning to the last train at night. So they argue that there is no such thing as overcrowding. But if you average it out over the day you do not get the bit which you and I are talking about which is in the middle of the middle of the line in the morning. Do you agree...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

So for now we will have to assume that £330,000 is still pencilled in against this programme of events running up through polling day no doubt. What went wrong with the tendering exercise? Whose fault was it that the grand plans you had before have come to nothing?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

But that was already planned separately to the Gala Opening.

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

I also welcome the fact that the tendering process went through for Trafalgar Square. I am just concerned that the fact that it did not tender would suggest that maybe there was something wrong with the specification. Because it would have been extraordinary if it did not happen. I wonder if you will take any action on that. When will there be a gala opening? Presumably, you are opening it officially in July, but will there be a gala opening some time after July? The money is in the budget.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

What about taxi congestion?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

My question is related to Trafalgar Square. Would you not agree that there is going to be a problem about taxi congestion around this area? It is not that I have a problem with it; I totally disagree with Mike and I think it is an excellent piece of work and I am sure Londoners will love it once it has opened. Secondly, you just spoke about the Deputy Prime Minister. Given that you have worked so well on this initiative, will he be there to open the Square with you? Can you tell us how long after the Square...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

It makes the case perfectly for what the Assembly Budget Committee has been saying in terms of the need for robust tendering procedures over these sorts of events. Would you not agree that spending of this sum money on events would actually be better put into things like having a proper New Year's Eve celebration that the vast majority of Londoners could enjoy? Indeed things like Notting Hill Carnival where the participation is hugely beyond what you could engineer around a rather bogus attempt to sort of hype up Trafalgar Square?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

Earlier you said that there was an election coming and that might be the more honest answer about this event than its cost. What is the budget for this programme of events given that the original cost of this grand opening was going to be some £330,000 for one event?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

It is, but at least there was a competitive tendering process there. For this one it is not there.