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• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

If I could dwell on examples, there has been some press speculation about the quota of business-class or first-class transatlantic flights that are afforded to you. There has been speculation about the catering bills; some cuttings from the Evening Standard suggest you are fed to a far higher standard than humble Assembly Members, for example. There has been other stuff like that, and I suppose it may be viewed as nosiness but I guess there is an aspect of public interest as to what perks there are around your employment and whether there is a transparency and understanding about those.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

You had a new roof, but obviously that has to be fixed. Nevertheless, £108,000 for external maintenance seems a huge sum even if you had a new roof and had it painted twice.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

During the time that you have been resident at the house, there have been various expenditures on it. I believe the total, if my information is correct, comes to just over £138,000. Some of that has been external work and some of that has been internal work, but that does seem to be an inordinately large sum considering that when the house was purchased it was described as being restored and modernised to an exceptionally high standard.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

The database to have to handle this would be massive. The problems of simply creating that database would be huge, and those people, the human link that would have to look after it, would be open to blackmail or inducements by criminal elements.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

The biometrics have to be foolproof is what you are saying?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

Sir Ian (Blair), thank you. My point is that having ID cards did not stop the Madrid bombings; having ID cards has not stopped bombings in Russia; the 9/11 hijackers all had valid documents and were able to get into the US; and they did not prevent any of those things, and yet the Government used the argument of having ID cards to justify the whole process, that ID cards would have prevented these when they brought them in. I remember David Blunkett (former Home Secretary) saying it in Parliament.

• Reference: 2005/0165-1
• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 June 2005

At the London Assembly plenary last December, Commander Mick Messinger was unable to point to any evidence to support the view that ID cards are of any use in the fight against terrorism. Is the Commissioner aware of any such evidence?

• Reference: 2005/0140-1
• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 06 April 2005

In your view how successful has the PPP been since its inception, has it delivered value for money, and how do you see the way forward? ... Following on from that I have a simple question. If PPP is deemed not to be worth it, what alternative is there? Is there a viable alternative?