• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

What you said about Bob Kiley trying to negotiate with two different teams, with such opposing views, illustrates one of the problems. The circumvention, which is to impose a preferred solution on another, is hardly likely to lead to goodwill and good working conditions. In the light of that, it is clear that PPP is still going ahead and will at some point require the Government to bale it out financially; so I thought perhaps you could explain this piece in the Labour manifesto - and excuse the sunglasses; I broke my normal ones at the beginning of the campaign...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

Can I then ask you about the contracts that you told us about in your report? You say that, once you have a contract you like, that can be imposed on the other bidder. How can you do that? Legally, a contract is something negotiated by two willing partners: how could you impose a contract on a private company?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

Why have you not dropped your threat of judicial review, given the rosy scenario you paint? I appreciate that you are saying that things have not yet been fully resolved, but it suggests that you are keeping it in the wings, so to speak, because you still have a concern that perhaps, after the election, if the Labour party were to be returned to government, somehow Gordon Brown may step back in the ring. Is that why you have kept that threat?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

Thank you for your work to date, Ken. We have raised this matter with you and with Transport for London, because it is such an important matter, especially for women when moving around certain parts of London, particularly the outer boroughs. This matter is therefore important to a huge number of Londoners, and because this question is so regularly put to a Londonwide Member such as myself, I would like a fuller report on the stages. You have told us a little about what is going on, but I and, I am sure, other Members would appreciate a much fuller...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

Mr Mayor, as Member for Havering and Redbridge, I have a very large number of black cab drivers among my constituents. Do you understand their concerns over your proposal to introduce a "quickie" knowledge, and can you reassure us that this will not result in a poorer standard of service for black cab users in London?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

Have you had advice yet on what powers the inspectors will have to enforce compliance?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 23 May 2001

I gather that this proving to be a bit more difficult than expected. Of the 2,000 companies that were originally expected to start licensing, only about 200 have responded so far. There are probably more than 2,000 companies - some are probably choosing not to be out in the open - so there obviously will not be enough inspectors. The Public Carriage Office is talking about 20 inspectors: could you encourage them to have more - probably four or five times as many - to deal with this problem?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 November 2001

And you certainly wouldn't be happy with any proposal that didn't have the support of the community in which it was broadly based?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 November 2001

You're content you think you can get the Mayor's policy across?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 November 2001

And the final point, is it do you think a wise state of affairs applications for certain types of plant to go to the Department of Trade & Industry? Would it make more sense for these matters to come to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions?