• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

I'll just say to Assembly Members, you might want to look at the last Budget Committee minutes, where we had the MPS and the MPA, and we talked a little bit about territorial services and central services, and there are some further answers there that I'd urge members to look at as we come to debate this precept. My question is in two parts, Toby. It's really about the role of the MPA in making sure that the MPS stick to decisions around resources and policy, that make sense in getting out of messes that they're in, which if we...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

One final question which is about the transport policing initiative, and there are a whole range of questions that are going to be asked about this, but clearly it is setting a precedent whereby one part of the GLA family is entering into a service agreement with another part to establish a function. This does raise constitutional, and also accounting questions. How do you see this from the MPA's point of view? Would it not be clearer if there were simply a bid for £25 million as part of the MPA's budget, and if there was, do you think you...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

I just wanted to make it clear, I wouldn't want to go to BBC levels of accountancy, or former BBC levels of accounting, because I am not sure that that is helpful to any organisation. Any large organisation, and indeed any organisation, needs adequate and proper and robust systems of financial control, and adequate and robust systems, which provide financial information so that managers can carry out their functions. Obviously you couldn't imagine an organisation, which although it had a budget of £2 billion, would do something that was so simple and repetitive that it only actually needed one semi-trained...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

I think probably the most appalling recollection I have of reading a police paper this year, was the discovery that the increase of something like 20 accountants would more than double the number of accountants in an organisation with a budget of £2 billion. Can you tell us what is going to happen in the next year's budget to take this further forward in terms of numbers; accounting bums on seats?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

In terms of your confidence curve you might call it, which you said started at 0.6 out of 10. The experience on the cost of police officers has taken you to what level of confidence on our understanding of that issue now?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

I think the experience that all of us have had, and hopefully none more than you, with the problems with financial control of the Police Authority has been quite an education, I was wondering if you could take us through your experience of how we understood the cost of a police officer during this year and the lessons that has taught you?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

What budgetary commitment is going towards securing key worker housing for recruits?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

Does it make sense to cut back on publicity in the recruiting of extra police?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

There has been a long strategy of selling off capital assets starting off with police houses, continuing on to police stations. What strategy is behind these trends and how are the funds being used?

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 16 January 2002

Chair, one last question. Do you think they were the only options that could have been taken for the short term?