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• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

Sally Hamwee (Chair): I explained when I wrote to you ' I think it was before Christmas ' that we would ask about the financial details because it is a very particular, very unusual position that you are in, very much one of public interest. John Biggs (AM): The question was to ask you for a list of the contractual benefits to which you are entitled up to 31 January. Could you tell us how many crates of claret, how many rooms at the Savoy, how many transatlantic flights, how many gold-plated telephones you get as part of your contract?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

I was a little uneasy about this question, but I was allocated a lead role on it. Perhaps some of my less pleasant colleagues would like to follow it through. It seems to me that we have a perfect right under the Access to Information legislation to ask formal questions of TfL and the Mayor to which we get formal answers. I suppose underlying this is a concern that down the years that TfL has not been the most transparent organisation in the world. I guess that the contract of its Chief Executive could be seen as the apex of...

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

If you will be indulgent, I just want to say something before I ask my question. When we all came onto the Assembly I think all of us knew that London's transport had years of under-investment and was in a terrific mess. Many of us had looked to New York and the subway and how it had been saved and improved out of recognition, so that when Bob Kiley agreed ' I think it was that way round ' to be TfL's Commissioner, many of us felt it to be an inspired appointment. Of course, there was much more to...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

I do not want to rake over answers you have given already, but at the last Mayor's Question Time, the Mayor described that it was asserted ' I think it was an Evening Standard story ' that there had been a bust-up between you and him about the fate or future or proposals of Jay Walder (Managing Director, Finance and Planning, TfL). He described that as being rubbish and piffle. Would you use similar words to describe that or was the Mayor being less than open with us on that matter?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

Is there a fundamental disagreement between yourself and Mr Walder on an aspect of strategy which was instrumental in your decision to hang up your boots?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 January 2006

I have one other question about your management style. Perhaps you can put the record straight on this, because the press can be very wounding. There have been allegations on the one hand that you are a dreadful control freak and that nothing has happened in TfL without you blocking it or running it over your desk; on the other hand, there have been various scurrilous allegations that in fact you have been almost negligent in your role and are barely in the office, that you have a cardboard cut-out there, for example, and nothing really happens. Can you clarify...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

Absolutely. I am aware of the Canary Wharf initiative, and I laud it. It is absolutely fantastic, and it is the kind of thing we want. We work very closely in north London with The College of North West London to try to look at the skills that will be needed in that area. Therefore, through the LSC and the further education colleges, it is absolutely essential that we work out the skills that are needed. That is what happened in Canary Wharf. They worked out the skills that were needed, and then were able to provide the training for...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 September 2005

I think it would be very helpful if that were done, but also, if something which is accessible to local businesses who are not politicians like us ' who understand all these convoluted politician-speak reports ' something which they could understand and could understand how they could have access to tendering and contracts and get some of the benefits which they have been promised out of the Olympics. I hope that is possible, as well. The second question, then, is about employment training in the construction industry. My understanding is that there has already been quite a bit of work...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 06 April 2005

Are you saying that you will not be ready to put in a serious bid for funding for phase two in Spending Review 2006?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 06 April 2005

Moving back to capital for transport infrastructure development, we are probably only about a year away now from the next Spending Review, 2006, can you talk us through what processes of development are going on within TfL to make sure we get a good second bite of the cherry and what preparation and business case development is going on?