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

I will join the Mayor and thousands of residents of East London, particularly in Hackney, in welcoming the East London line after some outrageous delays frankly. It does then bring us on to this next question about the East London line, which is the stations and I wondered what progress there had been on plans for new stations along the northern extension.

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

I think that we would all agree on the desirability of having it in place for the Olympics but if it is not, Ken, as I understand it, the last part of the work would be invisible on a day-to-day basis because it would be the commissioning. Will you be urging the work at least to get to that stage so that London is not in a state of disruption at the time of the Olympics?

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

My final question then is about the south side, where I think it is a little bit more disappointing that, as I understand it, the alignment of the Royal Docks route would not allow a station to be in Woolwich. Abbey Wood is where the first station on the south side would be. Now this is not the ideal outcome from the Woolwich point of view and it may be that my colleagues from south of the river will have a view on this. Have you given up on Woolwich?

• 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: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

You do not want to talk about Crossrail?

• 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: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 July 2003

I do not want to delay the meeting but could I slightly rephrase that question? Are you happy to work with the Borough Council and local residents to try to ensure that all possible alternatives to closure are explored and it is avoided? The final part of the question was about Bishopsgate goods yard. Of course, we can build a railway but it now unlocks one of the biggest development sites close in to Central London. Are you playing an active role in developing a brief for that?

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

Can you at the same time give an undertaking that as and when it opens as an extended line, in no eventuality will Wapping Tube station shut?

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

Can you give an unequivocal undertaking that whoever operates the East London line when it is extended, it will, to all intents and purposes, be a Tube line working on Tube zonal boundaries with Tube fares and Tube travelcards operating?