• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

So, the Chair of the MPA, with respect, can therefore order reports on any matter he feels, at whatever time he feels, without consulting one single committee, or even the whole Authority of the MPA. It's a fascinating way to do business and it explains a lot of the problems we're having with policing in London.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Actually, I would take issue with that, because the suggestion of more phones is obviously a completely ridiculous suggestion if there's nowhere to answer it. So, are you aware of the difficulty that people are having contacting their local police stations, and that this is making people feel distant, that the police are distant and unobtainable. And rather the national pilot next year in terms of a shared number for non-emergency calls, would you agree to set up discussions with the Mayor about perhaps trying to influence the agenda, providing local answers for local people?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Did you know, Lord Harris, there's a very tight budgetary situation. You have asked somebody to prepare a report on possible extra spend, and we know nothing about it on the Finance Committee. Perhaps you'd better start telling your friend, Lord Tope, what you're planning to do next week.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Sorry, you don't know which officer is producing the report and you're Chairman of the MPA, and you're issuing these instructions.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Can I just ask at what stage you asked an officer to prepare a report? Was it after the press release? And who is the officer preparing the report and when will we see the report?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

But that wouldn't be on a borough basis, then?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

The New York police force do not have email.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

What about a pilot on email access for the same sort of non-emergency issue, because they don't actually have email in New York, and it occurs to me that it would actually improve things, or take pressure off the phone line?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 13 November 2002

Apparently it works extremely well in New York, although there is some confusion about what's an emergency line and what is non-emergency. It actually works extremely well and they swear by it.

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

As you answered that, it struck me that you must have learnt something while you were in Moscow about answering questions in an imaginative and thoughtful fashion that directs people away from the truth. But, then it struck me that you are the father and midwife of `spin" in the UK - you are superlatively brilliant at it - and I think you make Tony Blair look pretty poor in that respect. The fact is, there is an underspend of, depending how you look at it, either £140m or £160m against what you said you would spend. Earlier in the...