• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

TfL does get £1 billion of income from the Government and there is an issue of priorities. If you live anywhere near Nunhead station, you would say that ought to be a first order priority.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

Ken, I think you need to understand the urgency of the situation. If public transport capacity in London is to be improved, the over-ground stations in South London are appalling and are being under-used because people are afraid to use them at night. Two key things: you used the words "unstaffed stations". The improvements that can be made at overground stations are undermined by the fact that those stations are not staffed frequently at night. When they are staffed, many of them only have one person in the ticket office and that means that vandalism, the destruction of toilets, the...

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

To be clear, I am not asking for a spending commitment. Essentially, there is a vagary in the document here, talking about could as opposed to would. I think that the one thing that the London wide Fuel Poverty Programme could do is actually co-ordinate the funds that are already available in London. Going on from that, one of the issues that I wanted to highlight here is the work with the utilities. It actually is not as clear in the Energy Strategy as it could be, and I am just trying to really pull out your sentiments on whether...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

For people who are listening, so that they know exactly what the question was, the question was that there are no plans directly helping reducing poverty in London under the Mayor's corporate cross-cutting priority in the inequalities agenda, given that London is the richest city in Europe and yet has the biggest concentration of people living in poverty, in Inner and East London, in Europe. As we all know, with the 43% of children living in households where the income is below half the national, not the London, average income "so, we do have a serious issue here. What I...

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

It says also in the same proposal, Proposal 76, that it could co-ordinate an action partnership. Do you think that itshould now say it would as opposed to could?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

Going on to the issue of fuel policy, you made a very clear manifesto commitment, and, indeed, your Energy Strategy said that no person would be in fuel poverty in 2010. And then, in your strategies, you talk about the London-wide Fuel Poverty Programme. Will you be taking a personal hand in that?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

Will you apply a funding allocation to these groups? I ask you, specifically, if your Children's Strategy recommends a GLA Children's Unit? Will you give that core funding in the same way that you have supported other units and other areas of activity, so that they don't have to go into any bargaining and then miss out getting financial support? You have it in your gift to give financial support to these groups, to actually make the networking across London better. That is something that is missing in terms of the groups that are active. They would welcome some pan-London...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

I welcome this opportunity, because it allows me to follow on two themes that I have brought up with you before, Mr Mayor. It is, really, referring to reports, which is all very well, we welcome them, but I do believe that it is time that Londoners have some positive actions from you with regard to children and young people, and also to hear from you what you can contribute to reduce the 30% poverty rate among Londoner's pensioners. Let me just say that a child born in December 2002 would arguably face the same obstacles as one born in...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

I want to ask you about London Weighting, so your notes to Question 435 may prove helpful. On London Weighting, would you agree that one of the barriers to tackling poverty are nationally negotiated pay rates which do not have an adequate London premium? If so, will you endorse, if you have not already, the London Weighting Advisory Panel? In particular, can you tell me whether a copy has been sent to the Treasury, whether you have engaged in any discussions with them, and what their response has been?

• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 16 July 2002

In what you said just now about the impact that the GLA can have on poverty and equality, you did not refer to the LDA's work in a single part of the regeneration programme. Surely, they are a major way in which the GLA can have an effect on these issues.