• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

As tourism is a vital growth industry in London and employs at least 250,000 people, it is incredibly important that we develop it. Many of London's attractions are in the centre, as is the vast majority of our hotel stock. Tourism therefore adds to central London congestion, and it requires its workers to make long journeys to work. Because we want tourism to continue to prosper, we want to increase it, and to a certain extent to decentralise it - The Chair: Nicky, could you get to the question? Nicky Gavron: What I particularly want to pin you down on...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

It would be fair then to say that you're pretty convinced, or you are convinced that MPA members should not carry out that role; can I just clarify that?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

The MPA has been considering whether it is appropriate to use MPA members to provide the crucial link - going back to deaths in custody - with the family victims and there has been some fairly robust discussion, certainly in Professional Standards and Performance Management Committee, and obviously the ability of the MPA members themselves to fulfil that role, were it to be decided, would be variable. So I just wondered whether the Chair agreed that communication with families of victims would be best carried out by independent specialists who are fully trained, rather than individual MPA members who are...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

You've come onto the Police Complaints Authority, which is really a big issue because of its lack of power to enforce decisions. For example, whether to suspend an officer remains the decision of the police force in question. So its decisions lack teeth. As Chair, what can you do to ensure that the new Complaints Authority has real power to bring its recommendations into action?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

I think the MPA is taking a very strategic lead in this issue and I welcome what you've said on all of the initiatives that we're taking forward. But there seems to be either a confusion or a feud, depending how you put it, between the MPA and the Mayor's office in terms of who should be carrying out investigation into the subject. The Mayor's office has claimed that the MPA is too closely involved to be genuinely independent and I wondered where you as Chair stood on this issue and what role you think the Mayor should have regarding...

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

Clearly, as Chair of the Authority, you are its public face and you have to defend its procedures and be very fastidious in the way in which you recognise the legal constraints under which it operates but is that not the essence of the problem? There is a lack of confidence amongst Londoners, particularly amongst young, black and Asian Londoners, that they will get fair treatment at the hands of the police, however well or ill-founded that might be. And that because the MPA has to be fastidious and procedural, there is a case - and I'm with Lee Jasper...

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

You touched briefly, Toby, on the definitions of deaths in custody and the very broadness of that definition. The general public would regard custody as being in the care, protection and control of the police, yet when there's a death in custody that takes a far, far broader definition. Do you think that definition should be changed so that the police cease being pilloried for things which are often beyond their control and circumstances which are beyond their control? Secondly, do you think it appropriate that individual members of the MPA should make public statements or issue press releases or...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

Can you just tell us quickly what steps you've taken to get the judicial inquiry, that you actually have asked for and that Haringey has asked for and that the family wants; and secondly what about the coroner's report, why is it almost three years and no coroner's report?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

I was only putting it in context of the Sylvester family.

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 12 December 2001

Following on from talking about individual families, one of the families in my constituency is Roger Sylvester's whose death was was nearly three years ago now. I'd like you to tell me what conversations you've had with that family. I'm very aware that although the autopsy is completed, there's been no coroner's report and that their wish for an independent inquiry into what happened, as opposed to a police inquiry, has not yet been satisfied. So the first part is, what report you can give us on your discussions with the Sylvester family and also, do you agree with the...