• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Your letter indicates I think specifically at least five, and possibly more, of the appointments will be made exercising your powers under the Act. That I take it, is your powers under Section 67(1)(b). Do I take it therefore that these posts will be subject to open advertisement?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

When you were elected two years ago, you quite clearly and very publicly stated specifically you would not use these powers available to you under the Act. What has caused you to change your mind two years later?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

I think that's very helpful in terms of the legalities of this. I would look at the political side of this because it seems to me that the proposals you are making are sending out some very powerful signals. One is it implies that you do not have confidence in the existing senior management of the Authority. Is that the case?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

I've been promoting that for a long time so I am pleased that Mr Meecher has listened to what I've had to say and I am pleased that you are supportive as well, which seems to me to be an excellent idea. But do you think enforcement is a job for the MPS or is it a job for borough Litter Wardens and the borough's people if they are going to keep the fines?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

What advice will you be giving boroughs who are involved in your campaign, and I guess implicitly the ones who aren't, because they can always look at what you are doing, on dealing with vandals and people who drop litter?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

This is about differentials. On the Graffiti Scrutiny a borough like Wandsworth that has spent upwards of £600,000, the boroughs average around £203,000 and a borough like Haringey £15,000 per annum. The fee of £10,000 to join in was two thirds of their budget so that may be why they haven't responded and are still in negotiation. But the point really is in setting a standard, how are you going to begin to address the deficit in Haringey versus good practice elsewhere? What sort of standards could they expect with that kind of budget?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Thank you for the report on your Capital Standards Campaign earlier. I note from your comments that 21 boroughs have signed up, 5 boroughs have refused to sign up and you chose to name them and shame them in front of the Assembly here. Could you also for the record name the six boroughs that have been so inefficient that they haven't responded to you or consider this to be such a low priority they haven't got around to it yet?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

: I don't really want to support car manufacturers in any way, but I think that the leeway was given so that they could devise cars that are more easily recyclable.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

On the question of dumped cars. The End of Life Vehicles Directive comes into force on 21 April this year but the obligation on manufacturers to pay for the recovery of the cars doesn't come into effect until 2007. So in effect there is a five-year funding gap. The Labour Government has clearly voted for this in the European Parliament, and equally clearly has not indicated any willingness to pay over these five years, leaving it to the boroughs. Do you think you could recommend to Sam that she lobby the Labour Government for the money for this particular initiative?

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Mr Mayor you have been criticising Wandsworth again while I was out of the room, maybe it's an exaggeration, but what we felt in Wandsworth was that Capital Standards weren't up to our standards. We have just spent a huge amount increasing the contract on street cleaning, a huge amount, very expensive and also a huge amount on cleaning up graffiti wherever it is, on private property, council property, business property, wherever. Mr Mayor, my question is would you like to come to Wandsworth and I will take you around so that you can see what a Capital Standard really...