• Question by: Lord Duvall of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich OBE
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

In terms of encouraging people to change and adopt new ways of working, then, you can have external inspection, but where do you stand on backing that up with self-regulation and others undertaking that task? Why does the GLA have to do that, and are you open to new ways of thinking about it; or are you set in your ways and determined that that is the road you are going to follow?

• Question by: Lord Duvall of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich OBE
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

And the role that you will play in brokering some relationships - or are you going to apply the lightest of touches and let others get on with it?

• Question by: Lord Duvall of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich OBE
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

On an issue we have touched on before - your role in establishing partnerships and relationships - how are we progressing on that in these various strategies?

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

Does the cleaning in the square remain on budget? The other day, I saw somebody cleaning the balustrades. There was a row of pigeons sitting on them, and as he moved to clean, they shifted - there is an "f" in that [Laughter.] - allowed him to clean, and then moved back again.

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

I happen to agree with you, as you know, but the problem is that this is in danger of being seen as a joke issue. The Mayor: No, it is not. John Biggs: It is very serious for Londoners. Examining it, we have to ask what the Mayor's strategy is. The strategy would appear to be to evict the pigeon seed seller, but it does not seem to go as far as enforcing a ban on the delivery of pigeon seed in the square, which is presumably what you need to do in order to have an effective strategy. Londoners...

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

As you may recall, I share your distaste for pigeons, and I would be happy if their numbers were falling. But the reason of the question is the fact that you stood on a very clear platform that your management of Trafalgar Square would include the removal of pigeon seed sellers, that the birds were a nuisance, with which I agree, and that their numbers would fall. But the evidence appears to be that, unless, in good old Moscow fashion, you had them rounded up and shot this morning, there are more pigeons in Trafalgar Square today than there were...

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

I think I can corroborate what colleagues have said. [Laughter.] Though not what you said at the end of your last answer. On a recent visit to Trafalgar Square, I saw more people feeding the pigeons from home-made kits than there used to be when the seller was there. Your heritage wardens were not only not stopping it: they were not even expressing displeasure. In fact, all they were doing was playing football with a Coke can between three of them. I wonder what the purpose is of your heritage wardens in Trafalgar Square, because they clearly were not fulfilling...

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

Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and the figures from your own transport strategy state that, if Terminal 5 were to go ahead, even with improvements in public transport such as CrossRail and so on, we would still see car passenger numbers - not even looking at aviation numbers - rise from 27 million a year to 40 million. You have alluded to many of the problems that Londoners are facing. Millions are affected by noise, by the adverse environmental impacts of this increase in aviation. Do you not think it is time that...

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

Thank you, Ken; I will lead on these questions on behalf of the Green group. You referred to your transport strategy and the case for expansion it makes, subject to environmental constraints. What are those constraints, and how are we going to measure them? What criteria do we have at the end of the day for saying that enough is enough, and what real impact will such constraints have on aviation numbers?

• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

Will you also be looking at the integrated aspect? The Mayor: Yes. Louise Bloom: I ended up getting the train, then a bus, then another bus; and by the time I finally reached Kingston town centre, I was so sick of it, I got in a cab to go to Surbiton. It was totally ridiculous - a two-hour journey to travel seven miles, just because integrated and properly timed transport was not available on a Sunday evening.