• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

So how will you be keeping an eye on how our money is spent? We know that major projects tend not to stick to budget or timetable, so if this project does go ahead - which seems highly unlikely, because of the all-round cock-up so far - how will you monitor what is happening?

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

So what criteria are we going to develop in future to ensure that the money we invest in the interventions will really have that impact long-term?

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

If my economic advice was that we were heading into a severe recession that would be long-lasting, I would seriously consider whether one should defer the introduction of the congestion charge. The most up-to-date economic advice, which I received yesterday, is that we still believe that the downturn in the economy is likely to be half as bad as the early 1990s, and much shorter in duration; and that, by the middle of next year, we will be coming strongly out of the downturn and the economy will be picking up. I ask for that forecast to be updated on...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

I was very glad to learn that you had gone to the theatre with 16 of your staff, but sad to hear that you were upstaged by Camilla and Charles. Eric Ollerenshaw: Why sad? Lynne Featherstone: Because he is the Mayor of London - A Member: And elected. The Mayor: Republicanism rears its ugly head! Lynne Featherstone: Don't go there. Following your announcement of the half-million pounds for theatre, I had a raft of inquiries for free tickets, as I am sure you did. I wondered whether you would be able to give me some further details - [laughter] -...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

That is good, too. I think we all recognise that it will take a while to get back the overseas visitors we have lost, particularly from America, but it seems to me that a priority is to attract visitors from elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Quite a lot of work was done reasonably successfully during the foot and mouth outbreak on the theme "the countryside is open", and a similar theme of "London is open" would be welcome, and probably capable of the earliest success. Related to that, have you considered the possibility of what is sometimes known as a...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

I notice that you have had a number of meetings with various business organisations, of which there are many - London Chamber on two occasions, London First, and a CBI gala dinner in Birmingham. Do you have a view on whether it might be better for the amalgamation of the London Chamber and London First to go ahead?

• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

All these packages and schemes are being pulled together by various people, but I was worried about their cohesion. Is somebody - other than you, presumably - in overall control of what is happening? Is there one central body or organisation? I know that the London Tourist Board are doing this to a certain extent, but when all these bits of money are going all over the place, how are we going to know what effect they have had, and when will we be able to see whether they have had any effect?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

You will remember that, at Mayor's Cabinet, you and I had a go over the plight of business in London and the downturn in sales. The LDA promised that the incentives would be announced within a few days, but I have not seen anything for small businesses. Can you tell us when we might see this before Christmas, because the argument was that Christmas is when most small businesses rely on making money to last through the year to an extent?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

Certainly we would want to keep British people coming to see their capital city. The trouble is that, once American tourists come back, I suspect that prices will then rise for hotel rooms and so on: they can afford to pay, and people in Britain cannot. There are very few people in Britain on average incomes who can afford to stop at a central London hotel.

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

Like Graham, I welcome the emphasis on promoting London tourism to the domestic market. Do you see that as a short-term measure to deal with the current crisis, or part of a longer-term vision? While the international tourist market is highly lucrative, there is a danger that, in the past, we have put far too many eggs in one basket, and it is subject to all sorts of variations because of the global economy, the fickleness of American tourists over terrorist threats and so on. Do you see this greater emphasis on the domestic market as part of a longer-term...