• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 13 March 2002

The poll tax actually went after a few really damaging, devastating defeats for the Government. The question that I think we want answered is if the Government is pressing ahead with PPP regardless, are you going to go out campaigning for Labour in the May local elections?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 27 February 2002

Just a quick question on a related issue. You said a while ago that you would give the Assembly an update on progress with lesbian and gay equality issues in terms of procurement policy. I do not think we have had that yet, and I wondered whether you could give us a quick update.

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

I accept the obvious visible differences; I still think that a lot of this is about culture and climate. It is not that many years ago - it still happens in some places - that people did not wish to admit a disability, for fear of discrimination. That, thank goodness, has largely gone. So it is about creating the right climate and the right culture. I am merely asking you whether you are satisfied that the GLA, as a model employer - as the pace setter that we all want it to be - is doing enough on these issues.

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

We may pursue that somewhere else, because that is not entirely my information. But that is not necessarily the right answer. You described it as an oversight, and perhaps it was not an oversight - it was deliberate - but I still think that cause for concern exists. Are you aware - I am sure you are - that the Mayor's office in this context has been described at a staff meeting as "a most unpleasant place to work"? I wonder whether that has anything to do with why some lesbian or gay staff members might have asked that this...

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

It was a very important oversight, and rather illustrates my point. It was not included, and it could and should have been. Even Customs and Excise recently managed to do it successfully. The GLA proclaims itself a model employer, and we all hope it will be, yet you say this was an oversight. That proves my point.

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

It is also the focus of the press releases, for instance, from your office. Can I give you an example? The GLA staff were recently required to complete an equalities monitoring questionnaire. Can you tell us why that did not include any questions about sexuality? If you are not collecting that information, how do you expect to be able to deal effectively with the issues and concerns of employees?

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

Would you accept that the very high high-profile concentration on race issues, important though they are, gives the impression that other equality issues are somehow less important?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 13 March 2002

The question was not about precise routes and the precise boundary. The question was about the culture change that is required in Street Management around consultation. They are at it at present consulting on waiting restrictions along Albert Embankment, Lambeth Bridge, Lambeth Palace Road and Lambeth Road, a very tight deadline for response, and no mailings to somebody like St Thomas' Hospital, as far we can tell, who are very affected by that. So the question was, if I can repeat it, what have you done and what do you propose to do to change the culture within Street Management...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 13 March 2002

You mentioned the infamous Kennington meeting, which was a specific instance I was going to ask you about, but it is a good example of the problems that there are, particularly in Street Management, around the attitude to consultation. You talked about the legacy of attitudes to consultation. In my view it requires a complete culture change, and these are the people who are going to be responsible for putting in the congestion charging scheme. You have been responsible now for Street Management for long enough in our view to have achieved some change in that legacy of attitudes, so...

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

Then all I am saying is you have to ensure, in your role as Chairman of Transport for London, that TfL now does engage in a different way because I think TfL, for what it's worth, are doing a good job but they are not going out and selling it and the danger is because of soured relationships, that a whole range of boroughs around London are going to take umbrage and make life difficult. The sensible way forward is to deal properly with local people at the local level and not to have what has come over as a...