• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

On that issue, any such partnership to take forward those schemes will be a PPP of one kind or another. I know that you have acknowledged that in the past, although you may not like it. I have a couple of questions on your presentation on the Underground. First, I suspect that this is a bit of a non-story in The Guardian this morning. It is something of a coincidence that the Director of Finance for the Underground leaves, and shortly afterwards correspondence purporting to be between the Government and the Director of Finance for the Underground appears in The...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

That was precisely the point that I wanted to make. While accepting that there is no risk of the Met ceasing to function, are you aware that there is real concern that the financial pressures being put on the Authority need a swift resolution by the Home Office? Will you take on board the comments that were made by the officers of the MPA to the Authority's Budget Committee only last week about the difficulty they have had in achieving an early resolution? I am sure that you would want to support those who are negotiating on behalf of the...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

I was interested to hear you say that, when you met the Minister, he gave an absolute commitment to the East London Line going ahead; but would you accept that one has to be cautious of that Minister's absolute commitments, given that London Underground thought they had a pretty absolute commitment to the £700 million of funding but received much less; and given that it is pretty apparent that Railtrack shareholders thought they had commitments from that Minister? Are you satisfied that the commitment from Stephen Byers and his Department is worth anything nowadays? Secondly, do you think that the...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

Let us start tonight. I know that many Members of the Assembly are coming to the London First meeting, where there will be a lot of Ministers and MPs, to discuss transport funding in London. There is no better place than to start tonight.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

I agree with that, because I think that this situation is totally disastrous for London, and both the Mayor and the Assembly are going to have to make strong representations. I still think that we are ruled by fools, however.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

There has been a series of disasters, hasn't there? Would you not have thought that the Government would recognise that this fiasco offers them an opportunity? I think that Stephen Byers has done the right thing over Railtrack by proposing to set up a not-for-profit company; that is the way through. The manner in which it has been handled is appalling, but it offers them the opportunity to do the same for the Tube, because it is a whole new financial ball game now. No one in their right mind would lend money to the PPP scheme. The shares of...

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

: I am sorry I did not take your investment advice. [Laughter.] But I do not suppose I have much of a pecuniary interest to declare now. For the record, I do not think that it is a direct pecuniary interest in asking a question about investment for the future. I was concerned to hear that you were quite sanguine about the prospects for investment in rail in London. After all, the whole process is now up in the air. The Government are not clear about how they are going to invest in rail transport post-Railtrack. May I also express...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

You have referred to the 1,500 "extra" police officers who are on duty in London. In your statements on this, could you make it clear that these are not extra policemen but policemen who are working during their off days and working overtime and so on? As the crisis intensifies and becomes even more prolonged, those police officers are going to become increasingly tired, and they are therefore likely to be less effective. But what is particularly worrying is that, in the outer London boroughs, where many of these officers would otherwise be serving, there is a fear - unjustified...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

I understand what you say about the bond issue, for example - some of us are more relaxed than the Treasury about that sort of approach - but the value of Railtrack bonds has declined significantly in the light of what has happened. Therefore, will you perhaps be instructing officials at TfL to take soundings within the capital markets in London to see whether these proposals are still viable?

• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 17 October 2001

That is very good news. As has been said, there were a lot of people there this year, but perhaps it did not reach out to as many people as it could have done, and many probably were not aware that it was happening. It would be good if we could look at creating a greater impact on people. I am sure - unlike some of those at the opposite end of the table, who are totally wedded to their cars - that it would attract a lot of support.