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• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Mr Higgins, I am grateful for that. Could you address Mr Hockney's point of why we learn about these problems, which Sir Roy (McNulty) has referred to, in effect from The Idaho Statesman. I think that is the point of Mr Hockney's question. Damian Hockney (AM): It is, yes. Brian Coleman (Chairman): I would be grateful if you would address that.

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I am interested to hear you say that all of that was agreed in the summer, because on 24 October you told the Cultural Committee here, `If we can get football clubs in there to help mitigate the operating costs, we will certainly be open to that'. Richard Caborn (Minister for Sport), on 21 October, said in the Guardian, `There is very serious negotiation going on between West Ham and the Olympic Authorities about the stadium'. Are you ruling football in or football out?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

You told us, again in an earlier response, that you have been negotiating with community groups and so on. Are you really telling the Assembly and the people of London that a viable future for the stadium as an athletics venue can be provided on the basis of full time use by local community groups, without a substantial subsidy from something like a premier league football club?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

When did those negotiations terminate?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

In summary, is football in or football out?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

You told us in your initial response that the IOC was quite clear what the future use of this stadium was going to be. How can it possibly be that you even entered into any discussions at all with West Ham if the future of the stadium is going to be as an athletics stadium?

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

In particular could you address the issue of VAT, Mr Higgins?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

We were assured at the time by the Mayor and everybody else that that was a robust costing. So you can imagine how depressed we feel when it turns out not to have been anything of the sort.

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Mr Higgins has referred to work looking at contamination and moving spoil from the site. Does it look as though the decontamination cost issues are running to budget or over budget?

• Reference: 2006/0390-1
• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Mr Lemley was particularly concerned about the impact of political disagreements on the future of the main stadium. Is this not a repeat of exactly what went wrong at Wembley? We are particularly referring to the issue of whether it should be an athletics stadium or a premier league football stadium.