• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

I am grateful for that Mr Bishop, but I think London is well-served by you and the other senior officers, who are directing these matters, those who are not on strike. As a professional officer, you would prefer the equipment that is subject to this £15 million bid sooner rather than later?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

I am very reassured by that, Mr Bishop. If the bid is successful in April or May, whenever the Government is going to take the decision now, there will be a procurement process. And this is specialist equipment that takes a significant time. You don't just get them off the shelves in your local B&Q. I wonder if we have any timescale for when we will be fully up to strength.

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

: Are you able to say when the fire boat was last used in anger?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

Wouldn't a case to look at be some kind of arrangement with the River Police and the Fire Boat Service? This was a matter I raised at the first ordinary business meeting of the Assembly, and at that time the Mayor said that he thought it was a jolly good idea; indeed it is his longest standing commitment which he hasn't actually fulfilled. He said he would investigate it. This now seems an opportune moment for revisiting this. Will you do that?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

Heathrow is a little different to the rest of London.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

I would depart from your view on that. Too many people believe that London is central London, and almost inner London. A number of us here represent outer London, where joint working is almost crucial. And I can think of the northern part of my own constituency in Ruislip Northwood, where we have no ambulance station, and we are dependent on ambulances trawling around the street, shall we say, and yet we have a fire station, which is two-thirds empty, with all of the support mechanisms that they need, yet they will not allow the Ambulance Service to use it...

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

In what areas do you anticipate that there will be more joint working with the other emergency services as a result of the Bain Review of the fire service?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

Londoners will find it very difficult to understand that you're not actually aiding and abetting the strike by allowing this stuff to be festooning these fire stations, public buildings all over London for more than a month. You have just told us that you want to get it down as soon as possible. The truth of the matter is, isn't it, that you have completely failed. Management at LFEPA level has been a complete disaster and Londoners are being totally let down by you so far as this is concerned.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

So what you're saying is that actually the implementation of Bain would possibly help towards sorting out the situation and membership of the FBU?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 29 January 2003

I recognise that the problem seems to be partly to do with the fact that the membership of the FBU extends right the way up, as I understand it in some cases, to borough commanders, who've been seen on picket lines. And this is absolutely unacceptable. I recognise that you feel that there is a problem there. My question is what could be done? As I understand it, you can't actually enforce a situation in which you would ask senior officers to step out of the union, nor indeed, presumably, even by offering an alternative union, can you force them...