• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

It's obvious you're concentrating not on West London, but on the East. So you spend most of your time talking to those who talk about health, rather than to those who actually deliver health care in London.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

Can you tell me what meetings you've had with the strategic health authorities, officers or members, to discuss the impact on them of the quality of the housing?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

As you are aware, in urban deprived communities one of the aspects of ill health that is much increased is mental illness. In Lambeth, we've got six times the national average for mental illness. We've got the highest rate of mental illness in the entire world. And the South London Maudsley NHS Trust has been doing some very innovative work on early intervention, trying to get to people in the system, particularly young men, before their problems become too serious. Can you say something about what the GLA is doing in the field of mental health, since it does have...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

I'm on the scrutiny too, so I suppose I was saying what extra can one do, except talk and recommend? Is that the limit of it?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

Can I just come back and say in the partnerships that you listed, working with the ALG, the Observatory and the others, you didn't list the LDA, but you have just spoken about the LDA. So, would you then agree that the LDA should have issues to do with poverty, deprivation and how you can actually alleviate those circumstances at the top of its agenda?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

Can I ask if you believe you have advanced the health of London since you've been there, or is the department an expensive waste of time?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

I just wanted to know, Neale, what work is being done about low birth weight and the low birth weight rate in London. I know this country has one of the highest low birth weight rates in Europe and the low birth weight rate in London is likely to be very high because of the numbers of children living in poor environments. And low birth weight is the biggest biological indicator of deprivation, and very closely linked to poverty. It leads to early death in infancy. It leads to ill health throughout life. It leads to disability and it's very...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

It's a great shame in my view. Dom you know what further health awareness campaigns the Mayor may have planned, following the "Saving Londoners" Lives' campaign that he did? That is one of the things he could consider.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

Neale, thank you. Can I just say to you that if we were to be going to Southwark, Lambeth, Hackney and Lewisham tomorrow, given all that you have said, which strategy would you tell us to say to this individual, "That is how the Mayor is going to pull a lever or make a difference". I hear all you've said, but it's just like that's mapping, that's informing, that's pulling together data. People want something extra from the Mayor and the London Authority. What would that be from the strategy?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

I am very pleased to be debating this again. You may recall I put a similar question in November, and I strongly support your position. I don't think it's a party position at all. The public sale of fireworks should be restricted or banned, and they should be restricted to displays for the very reasons that Nicky has described. We all have constituency examples of these. The question I had today on this subject was, what actions are you taking to take this forward? I think Nicky has opened up the question and, indeed, it relates to the one about...