• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

May I raise a serious point of order? Can we please be given the costs of this meeting, which has apparently been used to promote a particular candidate?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

Would you not agree that urging people to vote Liberal Democrat in preference to Conservative is no more than a statement of the obvious?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

You told us all the various constituencies that you propose to visit later, and it sounded rather like a list of stations on the Underground; and you have told us who it is you want to campaign with. Are the appropriate GLA Labour Members likely to accompany you enthusiastically in your work to help the Labour party in London? You have also told us that you are proposing to urge those people who live in Liberal Democrat/Conservative marginals to vote Liberal Democrat. Don't you think that that kind of relationship is rather like one praying mantis embracing another?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

I have a responsibility for two link boroughs as an MPA member and one point I am aware of is that there is a lot of frustration on the ground in the boroughs about the lack of local control over budgets and decision making and this comes to an aspect of Brian's question about local police stations where local discretion might allow the service to be better delivered through being able to employ civilian staff where there is often perceived to be a moratorium on their deployment. Can you address that? If we are genuine about devolving power to the...

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

Will you encourage exploration of other methods such as the provision of shop counter facilities, rather like Lynne Featherstone was advocating for parts of Haringey, or facilities in council owned buildings where the police can have a counter presence, which is what the public want, rather than the unsatisfactory situation we have got in Finchley. I am sure Finchley is not the only place in London with unsatisfactory facilities.

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

Chair, thank you. Lord Harris, on your recent visit to Barnet, you declined the kind offer of a cup of tea in my flat which is around the corner from Finchley Police Station. I would love to have shown you Finchley Police Station which is operating out of a PortaKabin with an area for members of the public who call in. I think Lord Harris, with all due respect, you would have had great difficulty fitting in the area designed for members of the public but what really vexes me is you've got a young police constable there, fresh out...

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

I presume there must be some responsibility on you to have asked Graham how things were going - and perhaps this explains why it is that Sutton ended up getting their allocation. It was a punishment because one of the expectations that came from the formula was the 'opening of the shop' formula, which I know that Graham was very proud of, and which was going to have a positive impact on Sutton. When you go down there in February, and we look forward to welcoming you then, what kind of explanation will you give to Sutton as to why...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

I don't seem to see that I have got an actual answer to my question. Yes or no, really?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

Can I just pursue a little of what you just said in answer to Val? (Q261) Are you actually telling us that Lord Tope did not consult with you on this enormously important process which has been so eagerly awaited. It has been such an important event for all the boroughs across London - are you actually saying that you, as the Chairman of the MPA, were not consulted by Lord Tope at any stage on this particular process?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

My Lord, members have wickedly and unfairly endeavoured to malign and treat badly the noble and liberal Lord Tope of Sutton whose borough received no increase in officers. Will you actually join me and recognise that the noble and liberal Lord Tope of Sutton actually did chair the process to the best of his ability?