• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

In a similar vein, and returning to the articles in the Parliamentary Monitor this month, the one you wrote praising congestion charge did not state that improving air quality would be one of the benefits - perhaps not surprisingly, as you have scientific evidence that it will not improve air quality in the central London area, where about 100% of the pollution comes from car exhausts. Why, then, do you use it as a method of improving air quality at Heathrow, where only 60% of the emissions come from car exhausts?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Looking at the latest guidelines, perhaps you could let us know as soon as possible, please, the comments you have made on the consultation on air quality strategy particles benzene, because the latest document from DEFRA has far more stringent targets. For London, it says that you have to meet them - not that you have to work towards them or make your best endeavours; you actually have to meet them. How do you know that the work on Terminal 5 will interface with that?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Will the next draft air quality strategy, when it finally appears, include those, as they are now included in the full transport strategy?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Absolutely, but the transport strategy is far more specific on this issue. Under policy 4L.4, it refers to "environmental ceilings on noise and emissions levels". Have you had any firm discussions with the BAA and national agreement on that subject? It does not say that you are going to be lobbying - it says that there must be enforceable environmental controls. Have you done any work on that? I was not quite convinced by what you told Darren.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

I have invited you to lead a debate on this issue for the region, and you have declined to do so.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Lynne Featherstone: It is more impressive if it comes from the Mayor, however. John Biggs: A problem we face as Londoners is an implicit acceptance in the political establishment that we need to compete head to head with France and Holland in airport policy. The Greater London Authority Act specifically excluded airports policy from your remit. What is more, any airport policy is bound to go way beyond the boundaries of London and consider the surrounding regions. Do you think we have a sufficiently solid regional alliance to deal with this issue, and what could you do to broker one?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

So we can rely on you to keep reminding the public of assurances that the BAA have given, then?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

As the north London Lib Dem rep I vaguely remember the BAA giving evidence to the Terminal 4 inquiry, and saying that they would not want a Terminal 5, and definitely would not want a third runway. I wonder whether the BAA's word as a corporation is reliable. In the matters raised by Darren and Samantha, I am not sure we can rely on it, given their track record and what they say at certain times and what happens after they have got their wicked way.

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Can you start those detailed discussions, and hold the BAA to their side of the bargain in drawing up an action plan and some publicly available implementation plans that we can all see to decide whether the BAA are delivering on their side of the bargain?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Yes, but so often, all the environmental gains from the technological advances - whether in emissions or noise - have been lost because of the ever-increasing traffic. So the environmental gains have not been realised. Your air quality strategy talks about the problems around Terminal 5 and Heathrow generally, and says that only 33% of ground traffic uses public transport, adding that it would clearly be unsustainable for that number of people to use public transport once the fifth terminal was built. What discussions have you had with the BAA on a timetable and an action plan to introduce the...