• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

Would you agree that this sudden 'step-in right' business smacks a little bit of last minute panic to try and get around this issue of safety, that at least they're now recognising the fact that this is an issue which they haven't perhaps properly addressed in the past?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

I'm interested in your reaction to this new move by Mr Byers on safety, these so-called, 'step-in rights.' Mr Kiley said yesterday that he'd be interested in looking at the proposals. Has he been given the opportunity to do that yet, or anybody else in TfL? If so, what does he think of them? What do you expect of them, and do you think they'll go any way at all to allay your concerns about the safety issue?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

I wanted to actually focus attention on safety, but first, perhaps I'll just ask you, do you think it's a little bit sad, Mr Livingstone, that the Labour Party has to hide behind the sort of disclaimer that you find on the bottom of almost any document provided by companies like accountants asked to look into shady dealings?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

You could conclude that consultants will come back with whatever you ask them to come back with. You pay them a lot of money, they come back with a thick report which roughly says what you asked them to say in the first place, and I think that obviously is somewhat disreputable if it turns out to be the case. To this end, I asked Bob Kiley on 30 August, to provide me with details of the brief given to Deloitte & Touche for their work, any amendments that were made to that brief, any amendments that were made to...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

That's certainly apparent. I think your distinction is somewhat semantic, but the other point I wanted to raise is one on which I'm a little less happy, is you've waxed lyrical about the Deloitte & Touche report. You haven't clarified that within it, it says, 'You should not rely on our work as being comprehensive' and it says, 'Our work is not intended to be a substitute for a detailed evaluation leading to a conclusion of whether the proposal is likely to provide value for money.' It also said that the Underground, or its financial advisors, hadn't been able to...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

Have you actually got any plans to galvanise this support in some way, to put pressure on the government?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

I take it from what you're saying, then, that after this meeting you will instruct Bob Kiley, the commissioner, to take a more constructive stance in negotiating on the PPP?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

So I take your answer as meaning, then, that -- I can read this out, if you'd like me to, it's very brief: 'We're asking for details of TfL's preparation for taking responsibility for managing the Underground' and the reply is that 'the Commissioner for Transport believes, like the Mayor, that the PPP represents an inherently unworkable management scheme'. I've cut out the middle bit. It goes on to say 'TfL will therefore continue to oppose the government's PPP and advocate an alternative plan' It says nothing about the work that's taking place.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

I'm delighted that you say that you're keen to cooperate with the government to make the best of a bad job, although I'm a little alarmed that you qualified that by saying that it's possible you might, if you see the opportunity, take further legal challenges to the PPP and my alarm is added to by the fact that the committee that I chair, will next week have a reply from TfL where we've asked them what preparations they're carrying out to take on the management of the Underground, and they basically say that their policy is purely to oppose...

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 10 October 2001