• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

I am sure you are aware, Mr Mayor, that the BBC has recently won a landmark case against the Metropolitan Police in terms of the trademark of the Police Box and the fact that it is more identified with the Tardis and Dr Who than the Metropolitan Police. Would you, however, favour the reintroduction of Police Boxes around London on the basis that that would provide an opportunity for people to make quick contact with the police rather than re-opening police counters, tying up police officers who might otherwise be patrolling and that that would be a best way of...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

I think you are talking about the MPS as distinct from the MPA because exactly what you are saying is one of the disciplines that the MPA is trying to bring to the MPS. Let me be clear that what you are saying is that rather than prejudging in the hypothetical case, were a significant number of Borough Commanders to follow the route of the one I have already referred to, you would not prejudge that issue, you would allow them to do that even though it might mean not meeting your overall target for numbers and you would be...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

I think both Richard Barnes and I would agree that is very unfair to Toby Harris. The Mayor: Whoever has got the money has got the power. Graham Tope: I would like to think I had the money! Can I then try and pin you down a little more? We have in six boroughs already, a pathfinder project for devolved budgeting. In one of those boroughs, the Borough Commander has decided, with agreement locally, that he will reduce the number of police officers in that borough in order to increase civilian staff and provide, in his view, more effective policing...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

I do not recall us making any cuts in the Mayor's Budget as far as the MPA was concerned. We all, except the Conservative party that did not count for these purposes, agreed the Police Budget that you put before us. But you have not answered the actual question; you have discussed the premise of my question but you have not answered the actual question, which was: given your aspiration to 35,000 police officers within the next three financial years, how many additional civilian staff are you willing to see recruited in order to give them proper and effective support?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

I am here as a member of the Assembly, Mr Mayor, and I am asking you a question as a member of the Assembly. You may be aware that I know rather more about the answers to the questions than you appear to do but I am giving you an opportunity.

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

There is a large amount of misinformation around. The other element of misinformation, a culmination of Europe, Brussels and you, which is exciting the media, what is the level of total Entertainment Budget for the London House, Brussels? Is this another area of proper good expenditure or is this an area where there is a lot of misinformation about?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

There have been newspaper reports that a member of staff was dismissed; is that true or false? The Mayor: That is false. Toby Harris: There have been some suggestions, again, no doubt from the press, that the two break-ins at the office were an inside job. Was there a police investigation and what was the outcome of that?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

I have been lobbied by residents of Kensington and Chelsea about the road works that are, perhaps, associated with this removal of the bus lanes and which have had a huge knock-on effect to bus times and bus reliability. They have also said that they have seen that the road works are not worked on all day. I just wondered if you had any feedback on that?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

It appears that the Mayor and I have had the same detailed briefing on the Kensington and Chelsea bus lane. It introduces an interesting question about priority here. Kensington and Chelsea have removed the bus lanes, in one case to widen a pavement for pedestrians and in another case to put in another pedestrian crossing, which I believe Transport for London have approved as being safer than what was there before. Are you saying that you support Kensington and Chelsea - you made some positive noises about that in connection with Angie Bray - in their drive to improve pedestrian...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 23 October 2002

Would you describe yourself as being `anti-car'?