• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

My final question is about passenger advocacy. One of the issues that came out of our scrutiny was passengers' concern about how they were treated by London Underground management. We have the Transport Users Committee on which there is a variety of views, which I will not go into now. Do you think there is a need for some other passenger advocacy role within the Underground which is perhaps slightly little closer to the ground and less focused on the academic and a little bit more focused on the concerns of day-to-day travellers?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

That does not sound like a vote of confidence.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

Can I raise another question about the role of the trade unions in safety management of the Underground. It has been a festering issue and it came up again in our evidence on this scrutiny. Do you think the unions have an adequate role in safety management? Obviously, there are conflicting views as to whether the systems should be sufficient and it is just a failing of management quality; or whether there should be a further over?arching role to stop the services, for example, if there is any suspicion or concern about the way in which they are operating.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

So no reductions in staffing on the Underground however tempting that might be from other directions without there being a proper appraisal of the safety impact.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

Can I move on to the question of staffing on the Underground? It is one of our conclusions, which again I think has not been refuted and indeed is supported by the trade unions, that particularly at off?peak times such as weekends, there are not enough staff with the right range of skills working on the Underground to make it work effectively. Are you prepared to give a commitment to Londoners that there will be no reductions in staffing on the Underground without there being a full and public appraisal of the safety implications of that?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

As I am now Deputy Mayor, is the Camberwell Tube Station moving up Transport for London's agenda?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

The good thing is that London Underground produced an environmental report. How soon can we expect the next one?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

One of our recommendations in the report was about accessibility. Do you know whether that is something the LUL is working on at the moment? There was going to be a core system that would be accessible to all.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

No he did not. You have not quite answered the question.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

And it was partly an opportunity for you to provide a clear statement to Londoners about the priority you will give to safety when you take on the Tube in about three weeks. Can we build on that because one of the conclusions of the report, which I do not think has been contradicted, indeed it has been accepted by London Underground management, is that they do not yet understand the precise cause of the accident. They know what happened, but they do not know why it happened. Can you give a commitment to Londoners that you will carry out...