• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

Mr Mayor, your comments on policing all sound very good and on the face of it would be welcomed by people in my constituency, but we can remember the last question time when you supported the decision not to open Wanstead Police Station or Woodford Police Station because of a lack of police numbers. And we do know that, although you've recruited all those extra police officers, very few of them indeed have gone to Redbridge and none of them have gone to Havering. Do people in Outer London boroughs really get value for money from their precept charge for...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

Well, go down those streets at the moment, where TfL is desperately trying to spend its underspend as rapidly as possible and is digging up every part of London and actually creating the congestion that you say you have solved. To make London a safer city go out and talk to people about street crime and whether the figure is coming down by 2% or whatever. But, in fact, people are dealing with real problems here. To strengthen London's economy - we're already having predictions of a slowdown. Regenerate deprived areas - where's that happening? Promote the case for London...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

The contract really is the question. Is that in the contract? Is there any mechanism for TfL to enforce that?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

Following on from Roger's point about sub-contractors, yesterday a Southwark inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing. It was reported that the employee was only three days into the job and he'd had 1½ days training and was working for sub-contractors Balfour Beatty Rail Maintenance Ltd. Can you tell us whether TfL will have any mechanism for forcing the Infracos under PPP to train the staff of their sub-contractors properly?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

Your concerns are shared by residents in the area. Have you had the opportunity to relay those concerns to Stephen Byers in the government, and ask him for their response?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

Have you done any investigation on whether the introduction of PPP will make handling these types of incidents easier or more difficult, and if so, are there any measures you plan to take to help out?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

Thank you for that, and obviously action has been taken since I last raised this issue. But also since I last raised this issue we've had a continuing spate of incidents, notwithstanding the reduction recorded by London Underground. We had a steel bolt thrown through a train window when it was travelling at speed, nearly injuring passengers. We've had the embankment set on fire alongside Goodmays Park, which actually stopped the whole system and potentially endangered the whole trainload of passengers. We have children still getting on to the lines. Is there anything else you have planned to deal with...

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

You could look at our bus report, which suggested that you look at the Gibney Project that happened in the United States.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

I wonder if the Mayor could settle a dispute between John and I? If you can introduce buses - and you are the Chair of Transport for London - why can't you introduce Transport for London small vehicles, and run them? Introduce a small vehicle as part of your fleet. If you identified areas where you find the largest group of young people coming out of clubs, then you could introduce a Transport for London small vehicle service. Have you explored this? John says that Transport for London couldn't do this, but have you explored that approach?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 22 May 2002

The Royal Town Planning Institute recently called for a relaxation of development rules in the green belt to ease the housing crisis. Do you support them?