• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

You don't want to encourage them to build houses?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

How does the rigid imposition of a 35% affordable target assist in persuading and incentivising developers actually to build houses?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 11 December 2002

In the context of the question about Sutton, I was going to invite you to confirm that what Sutton are trying to do within the 30% is to get above target levels of social rented, where the need is particularly acute, rather than the intermediate element of the target, which obviously is important, but less desperate. But given the line of questioning from the Conservatives, perhaps the debate should move on and you should be challenging the Conservatives to say whether or not they support the need for affordable housing at the sort of levels that we're talking about. And...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

Do you consider that an unwillingness to hear personal representations from objectors to the scheme is consistent either with equity of treatment or with your own manifesto commitment to have the most open and transparent form of Government this country has yet seen.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

Is the Mayor not willing to hear representations from people against schemes? Is that accurate?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

Well, if it is acceptable that those three people could be present, I fail to understand why it isn't acceptable to have either members of the Assembly or members of the public there. I appreciate it is extremely boring, listening to you talking to yourself, as you have described the process of the actual decision making, but the truth of the matter is - and the scrutiny committee never suggested otherwise - is that when representations are made by developers or in the past when representations have been made by developers, they may well have no longer been present when...

• Question by: Trevor Phillips
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

There were no questions on that statement.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

The Chair: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. Well, that's very interesting and I'm so happy there are so many people here to hear us discuss planning. Okay. On questions on the update. Tony Arbour: Mr Mayor, you will know that we've already rejected the suggestion that an independent member should be there. We welcome what appears to be a concession on your part, but it isn't an adequate concession. We don't think this apparent concession is nearly what is required. What is required is firstly that those of us who have the same mandate as you to represent Londoners...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

It's really a point of information and that is on the Standards Committee we have three independent members, one of whom is Malcolm Grant who is an extremely competent person and we are very lucky to have him. Those three independent members do not think that Assembly members should be in those meetings. That's their independent view. They feel that our role is scrutiny and it is not to act as an ever-present watchdog.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 19 June 2002

Would you like to answer the question, then, please.