Search questions

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

One final question. Studying your documents there do not seem to be a vast number of trips being planned, for example, to other Commonwealth countries, with which Britain already has very good relations but could be improved. Is there a particular reason why that is the case?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

One of the considerations might be that we have had very clear ones to Cuba, Venezuela etc, which do not strike us as being those areas which would be immediately promoting London as such an important international city. Clearly, that is a priority. Why?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

It is just that you are making comments to us like, `It is good to go to New York because tourists spend a huge amount of money in London'. The implication is if the Mayor did not go to New York the tourists would not come to London. What actual value is that adding?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

So you have worked this out then. Why can't we have the figures? I just feel we need to know how much these services will cost and what they are. We are getting US$16 million.250,000 people, on the basis of the Mayor's statement this morning, will get travel concessions worth £280. Of course not all are going to take them up, but even if 80% take them up, that will take up the whole of that US$32 million.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

You could not have given those assurances on the phone?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

I think it would be quite helpful if you could say the criteria that he used for the trips that are accepted and those that are rejected, in terms of the planning side. Obviously at the moment we have understood from your answer to Mr Biggs' questions that you do not accept all the invitations, and presumably you are not proactive, but what are the criteria you use to decide?

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

How much? Very small? What does very small mean? Are you saying less than £1 million, between £1 million and £5 million, up to the value of the money we are getting? How much?

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

I accept what you have said about the Mayor who clearly takes his responsibilities to running this capital city seriously, but what about all his staff? I have looked at this document [refers to schedule of foreign trips undertaken by staff in the Mayor's Office]. I brought the smaller version. There is still a bigger version. I am really quite concerned how you are all going to offset all this travelling that you have been doing. Not only singly but mostly you go fourhanded to some very nice enticing places, and really I do not see the point of this...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

Just to slightly pursue some of the answers that we have had here. When you are planning a Mayoral visit - and, Mr Ross, you are an economist - what value do you place on a Mayoral visit, on average?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 March 2007

I certainly do not characterise Monsieur Delanoe [Mayor of Paris] as an extremist. I do not think he has ever, even in his youth, advocated arming workers' militias or anything of that kind, Mr Ross.