• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 21 May 2003

Thinking about contracts that are let through the core GLA, can you describe to us the procurement procedures that we have to ensure that employees of contractors are paid a living wage? Can you tell us what number of contracts have been declined on the grounds of the contractor not being able to give us the assurances the procurement policies should require, if indeed they do?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 21 May 2003

Very interesting. Perhaps with some of the problems the Mayor has experienced with procurement, I think it is a very poor excuse to say you have not got the staff; certainly there are plenty of people there already. I just wanted to pick up on a point that the Mayor made. The Assembly has not come up with a view that it supports a £4,000 flat?rate policy. It endorsed the view of the independent panel and that work is continuing, and that did not come out with a flat?rate £4,000. I think it is worth highlighting and reminding Darren that...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 21 May 2003

No, I just wondered you appeared only before John Biggs or whether there was anyone else there.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 21 May 2003

Can I start by thanking my GLA Member for his support on this local issue. Indeed, the whole Tory group for making it their top priority this morning, in marked contrast I must say to their local representatives. Ken, are you aware that once again the TfL consultation process has been to say at best, deeply flawed. The exhibitions were set up with virtually no notice and with no advertisement in the local press, although it is actually an issue of concern for far wider than just the immediate areas because it is a very important through?road. The leaflet that...

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 21 May 2003

And I do hope that when any further consideration is being placed that the issues in Wallace Crescent are given close consideration because there is a great deal of rat-running already taking place under the current arrangements and indeed residents' cars get damaged as a result. I do hope that will also remain on the agenda.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 26 March 2003

When we talk about extra police officers, we all think about bobbies on the beat, and so on, but in fact for every bobby we then get more and more senior officers which cost us a huge amount of money. Are you aware that the Superintendents' Association believes that the Met has far too many senior police officers and that there will be pressure for all of us to agree to even more senior police officers?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 26 March 2003

The problem is that the 82% increase in council tax has gone along with that. You might say that if you've got all this success, why do you need to keep hiking the council tax? The fact of the matter is, the extra policing that you are hoping to deliver is being delivered on the back of the council taxpayers. One can only be left with the conclusion that the 35,000 in the end are going to come from the council tax increases.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 26 March 2003

And if you are not successful with the Government, which you don't appear to be in terms of Tube negotiations or much else, to be honest, where is that extra cost going to be met from? From the council tax or from borrowing or from what?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 26 March 2003

Can I ask if you've done any costings of the 35,000 and how you expect to pay for that extra amount of policing?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 26 March 2003

The Home Office is so committed to policing in London that they have cut the allocation of police community support officers from 500 to 250. When you consult passionately the people of London over additional police officers, do you explain that it will probably cost £750 million to go up to 35,000 and this would probably be a trebling in the precept or do you just say, "Would you like more police officers"?